Nick Nurse had plenty to like after his Philadelphia 76ers moved to 3-0 with a 106-100 win over the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and one of the biggest bright spots was Jaylen Brown’s work on both ends.
Brown didn’t just chip in offensively. He finished with a block, a steal and a plus-17, and Nurse pointed to the way his scoring seems to spill over into the rest of his game.
“For me, it seems like when he gets going offensively, it also kinda translates to the other end where he's goin' and knocking the ball away, playing sticky, physical defense.
“He's a part of creating some of those runs (with his defense),” Nurse added.
Brown scored 19 points and hit 2-of-4 from three, giving Philadelphia another strong piece beside LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey. James, after sitting out the Bucks game with an injury, returned to put up 14 points against New York, while Maxey led the way on offense with 28 points and eight-of-nine free throws even though his three-point shot wasn’t falling often.
The win also came on a day when James’ health was a focal point, but he responded by helping team up with Brown to beat Jaylen Brunson’s Knicks.
Maxey has also been in the spotlight lately after a public disagreement with Stephen A. Smith over a past situation involving former coach Doc Rivers. Still, the 76ers are not going to have much time to enjoy the start they’ve built.
They turn next to an October 25 matchup with the undefeated Detroit Pistons, led by Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
So far, Brown, James and Maxey have handled the early test of whether their chemistry would click in the first week and beyond. Nurse has the championship background to guide the group, and Brown’s next outing against Detroit will be another checkpoint as Philadelphia tries to keep this run going.
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Sixers Already Look Deeper Than Fans Expected After 3-0 Start
Three games into the season, the Sixers are already showing a rotation that looks deeper than plenty of people expected, and Fridays 127-116 win over the Bucks only added to that impression. Joel Embiid powered the night with his 10th career regular-season triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Philadelphia kept rolling at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The other part that stood out was how many different names factored into the win, with Dean Wade making his debut in place of LeBron James, who was out because of low back and sciatica management. Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey were among the key contributors as the Sixers continued to build early-season momentum, and the next question is how this mix holds up once the schedule tightens and the lineup gets tested more seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Keeps Sixers Fans Watching This Celtics Drama
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Brown also pointed to Tatums public relations team and stopped short of promising a private conversation, which only adds to the intrigue. The two have offered different versions of how much Tatum knew about Browns move from Boston to Philadelphia, and with neither side laying out the full story, this one continues to linger as background noise for Sixers followers keeping tabs on the Celtics drama. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron's Early 76ers Absence Creates A Bigger Question For Philly
LeBron James will not be on the floor for the 76ers in Philadelphia, and the absence is being handled as a planned workload management decision rather than anything injury-related. Nick Nurse said the call was made with input from the medical staff, the front office and Jamess camp, leaving Philadelphia to navigate the matchup without one of the biggest names on the board.
For the Sixers, the immediate focus shifts to the players who are available and how they absorb the extra responsibility. Nurse pointed to Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown as the kind of presence that can help cover the missing offense, while Tacko Fall, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti are also out and Dean Wade has already been cleared after being listed as questionable. It adds another layer to a game that now has more to do with depth and adjustment than the star attraction that was supposed to headline it. [Read more 🡒]