LeBron James’ first night with the Philadelphia 76ers came with a wrinkle that changed the feel of the game in the second half.
After a 106-100 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Nick Nurse said the move to put James on Karl-Anthony Towns was a key part of how Philadelphia slowed down New York’s preferred action. The Knicks leaned heavily on the Towns-Jalen Brunson pick-and-roll, and Nurse said the switch gave his team more answers.
“It’s kind of common to put a forward on KAT, ’cause there’s so many pick-and-rolls with him and Brunson,” Nurse said. “It gives you some versatility to play some other coverages, right?”
The change didn’t pay off instantly. Nurse said Josh Hart made Philadelphia feel it right away by knocking down a pair of shots after the adjustment.
“I think it was good. I mean, Hart obviously stepped in and nailed a couple right in a row to make you pay for the adjustment you make,” Nurse said.
“But over the long haul, it was very good. Very good, I think.”
That longer view looked a lot better for the 76ers. The Knicks led 58-54 at halftime, but Philadelphia flipped the game after the break and won the second half 52-42. The third quarter was especially decisive, with the 76ers outscoring New York 29-18.
James was a major part of that surge. Early in the third quarter, Towns committed turnovers on back-to-back possessions, and James turned both into layups.
One came on an alley-oop from Jaylen Brown. Later in the period, James delivered the inbounds pass to Brown for a buzzer-beating three, sending Philadelphia into the fourth with an 83-76 lead.
Brunson, the centerpiece of the Knicks’ two-man game with Towns, put up 21 points but managed only 6-of-19 shooting. Towns finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds after dealing with early foul trouble.
James’ debut line for Philadelphia showed how much he impacted the game on both ends: 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points, while Brown added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The result also gave James a first he had never had before. His previous four debuts with a new franchise all ended in losses.
Nick Nurse asked about his decision to put LeBron on KAT which gave versatility to #Sixers guarding the pick & roll vs Brunson and tipped the scale in their favor vs #Knicks in the 2nd half pic.twitter.com/0KR9t53eMR
— Darko Dželetović (@DarkoBasketball) October 21, 2026
For Nurse, the bigger takeaway may have been what the James-on-Towns look can unlock against larger lineups. Philadelphia gets another chance to build on it when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit Thursday night.
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