The Philadelphia 76ers sent a loud preseason message Monday night, rolling past the New York Knicks 120-97 in a game that quickly stopped looking like an exhibition.
Even without LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia had no trouble taking control. The 76ers got a big night from Jaylen Brown, who scored 22 points, and a strong all-around showing from VJ Edgecombe, who finished with 12 points and seven assists. Philadelphia also got double-figure scoring from Jabari Walker, Dillon Jones, Saint Thomas and Caleb Love.
New York never really found its footing. Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each finished with 12 points, but the Knicks shot just 38.5% from the field and 19.5% from three-point range. Once Philadelphia’s second unit started to take over, the gap only widened.
Brown was the clear headliner. He went 8-for-13 from the field, hit three of five shots from deep and added three assists in only 17 minutes.
He didn’t need a long runway or a heavy workload to do damage, and that’s what made the performance stand out. New York had no clean answer for him when he attacked the paint, even with the kind of perimeter defense built around OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
What made the night even more interesting for Philadelphia was how many different players chipped in. Walker posted 11 points and 11 rebounds, Jones added 11 points and six boards, Saint Thomas scored 11, and Caleb Love contributed 15 points and six assists. The 76ers ended up with five players scoring at least 11 points, while the Knicks had only three.
That kind of spread-out production gave Philadelphia a different kind of edge. The bench didn’t just hold the line; it helped blow the game open. If Embiid, Maxey and LeBron are available later on, Nick Nurse may not need them to carry every possession to keep this team rolling.
For the Knicks, the offensive concerns were obvious. Brunson scored 12 points in 15 minutes, Towns had 12 in 15 minutes and Anunoby added 12, but after that the scoring dropped off sharply. Miles McBride was the only other New York player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 off the bench.
The Knicks finished 35-for-91 from the floor and 8-for-41 from beyond the arc. That’s not the kind of shooting night any team can survive easily, and it forced New York into tougher and tougher looks as the game went on. Philadelphia kept making them work, and the Knicks didn’t have much else to lean on when the jumpers stopped falling.
Edgecombe’s line also gave Philadelphia plenty to like. The second-year player scored 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting, added seven assists and grabbed four rebounds.
The scoring mattered, but the passing was the bigger sign. He didn’t force the issue, moved the ball well and looked comfortable playing within the flow.
The numbers backed up the eye test for Philadelphia, too. The 76ers shot 42.3% from the field, 34.8% from three and 78.6% at the line, while New York finished at 38.5%, 19.5% and 59.4%. Philadelphia also won the assist battle 29-23 and edged the Knicks on the boards 53-51.
One preseason game won’t settle anything on its own. But this one did show something useful: Philadelphia may have more depth than people expect, and that could matter once the stars are back in the mix.
In Other News...
Joel Embiid Got Pulled Into A Strange LeBron Rumor Fast
The 76ers preseason opener briefly turned into an odd side story when broadcaster Mike Breen said he had heard Joel Embiid was a few minutes late to a recent practice and was confronted by LeBron James. It was the kind of stray detail that can take on a life of its own in October, especially when it involves one of the leagues biggest names and a Philadelphia star already under a bright spotlight as the team starts laying groundwork for the season ahead.
LeBron James later shut the report down on social media, saying Embiid had not been late. So the rumor did not linger long, but it still added a strange wrinkle to a night meant to be about the 76ers getting back into game mode. Philadelphia now moves on to the rest of its preseason schedule and, eventually, the start of the 2026-27 regular season with the usual attention on Embiid and everything that follows him. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers May Have A Low-Risk Answer To Their New Frontcourt Problem
The Clippers decision to waive two-way center Jamarion Sharp has put a familiar kind of low-cost big man on the market at exactly the moment the Sixers need one. Philadelphia has an open two-way roster spot, and with Ariel Hukporti injured, frontcourt depth has become a more immediate concern than it was just a few days ago.
Sharp brings a profile the Sixers could find appealing: a 7-foot-5 developmental center with strong defensive numbers in the G League and the sort of rim protection that can at least help stabilize minutes in a pinch. The question now is whether Philadelphia sees enough upside to use that two-way slot on another project, or whether it keeps looking for a more ready-made answer to its frontcourt problem. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Love Is Giving The 76ers A Roster Problem They'd Love
Caleb Love arrived in Philadelphia on a two-way deal, but he has already started making that arrangement feel temporary. After a solid rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he carved out a real rotation role, Love has carried that momentum into camp and looked like a player who belongs in a bigger conversation. In a recent preseason game, he put up 15 points and added contributions across the board, giving the Sixers another guard option with some two-way versatility.
For a team that is always balancing immediate expectations with long-term roster flexibility, that kind of production creates a good problem. Love has shown enough early to make the Sixers think about whether his role should grow if this keeps up, and whether a standard NBA contract might become the natural next step. For now, Philadelphia gets to keep evaluating, but the early returns are making it harder to treat him like just another depth piece. [Read more 🡒]