# 76ers beat champion Knicks 106-100 on ring night as LeBron James and Jaylen Brown debut

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 and Philadelphia closed the third quarter on an 11-0 run to spoil New York's banner-raising opener at Madison Square Garden.

By The Signal Edition | Sports / NBA
Published: 2026-10-21T00:59:18Z
Updated: 2026-10-21T03:28:34Z
Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/knicks-lead-76ers-halftime-ring-night-lebron-debut-b8dm1j
Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/ceec3adaa3480a460290b0d9c7a20f05.jpg (Exterior view of Madison Square Garden in New York City; credit: Ajay Suresh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0))

## Summary
- The Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after the Knicks received championship rings.
- Tyrese Maxey scored 28; LeBron James had 14 points and nine rebounds and Jaylen Brown 19 points in their first games for Philadelphia.
- Jalen Brunson scored 21 on 6-of-19 shooting for New York; Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Andre Drummond 12 points and 14 rebounds.
- Newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored off Philadelphia's bench; sources differ on whether he had nine or 10 points.

## Final score and how it was decided

The 76ers beat the Knicks 106-100 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the season opener for both teams, according to the AP (via Fox Sports) and Bleacher Report. Philadelphia trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, then outscored New York 29-18 in the third quarter, CBS Sports reported. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [2](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25513917-lebron-brown-win-76ers-debut-vs-knicks-box-score-stats-highlights-brunson-embiid-more) [4](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-opening-night-live-updates-celtics-pistons-knicks-76ers-spurs-thunder/live/)

The 76ers closed the third on an 11-0 run capped by a Jaylen Brown buzzer-beating three, taking an 83-76 lead, the AP said. Karl-Anthony Towns cut it to 96-95 with a three in the fourth, but Joel Embiid answered with a basket and Philadelphia held on. The Inquirer reported a Maxey steal and dunk made it 104-98 with 1:52 left. New York shot 37% overall and 33.3% from three, the AP said. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [3](https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/sixers-knicks-updates-news-lebron-james-jalen-brunson-schedule-highlights-20261020.html)

## Key performers

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points. Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game since arriving from Boston, and Embiid finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, per the AP and Bleacher Report. For New York, Jalen Brunson, the Finals MVP, scored 21 on 6-of-19 shooting, Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Drummond, a former 76ers center, had 12 points and 14 rebounds, Bleacher Report's box score showed. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [2](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25513917-lebron-brown-win-76ers-debut-vs-knicks-box-score-stats-highlights-brunson-embiid-more)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a Philadelphia newcomer, hit two three-pointers per the AP. Bleacher Report credited him with 10 points and CBS Sports with nine off the bench, so his exact total is not settled here. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [2](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25513917-lebron-brown-win-76ers-debut-vs-knicks-box-score-stats-highlights-brunson-embiid-more) [4](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-opening-night-live-updates-celtics-pistons-knicks-76ers-spurs-thunder/live/)

## LeBron James' Philadelphia debut

James started in his first regular-season game for Philadelphia and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in his record 24th NBA season, the AP reported. Assists were listed as six by the AP and seven by Bleacher Report and CBS. An Inquirer live blog entry earlier in the night had him at 11 points, a running total that was later superseded. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [2](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25513917-lebron-brown-win-76ers-debut-vs-knicks-box-score-stats-highlights-brunson-embiid-more) [3](https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/sixers-knicks-updates-news-lebron-james-jalen-brunson-schedule-highlights-20261020.html) [4](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-opening-night-live-updates-celtics-pistons-knicks-76ers-spurs-thunder/live/)

Knicks fans chanted "We don't want you" at James, and the crowd cheered when he missed a free throw in the second quarter, the Inquirer reported. It also cited fan video of James telling a heckler "Ain't nothing soft in the Midwest"; the video was posted by a fan account and the Inquirer did not independently confirm the exchange. [3](https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/sixers-knicks-updates-news-lebron-james-jalen-brunson-schedule-highlights-20261020.html)

## Ring night

Before tip-off the Knicks raised their championship banner and received their rings after beating San Antonio in five games in the Finals for their first title since 1973, the AP reported. Brunson told the crowd he hoped the city could recapture this summer's joy. Reserve center Ariel Hukporti, recovering from Achilles surgery, received his ring in street clothes and did not play, the Inquirer said. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [3](https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/sixers-knicks-updates-news-lebron-james-jalen-brunson-schedule-highlights-20261020.html)

## Availability and next games

Anfernee Simons (hamstring) and Adem Bona (foot) were listed as available for Philadelphia and Dean Wade (ankle) as out, the Inquirer reported. Philadelphia hosts Cleveland on Thursday and New York visits Boston on Friday, per the AP. NBC Sports' recap carried the same 106-100 score. [1](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) [3](https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/sixers-knicks-updates-news-lebron-james-jalen-brunson-schedule-highlights-20261020.html) [5](https://nbcsports.com/nba/news/knicks-v-76ers-recap-results-maxey-stars-as-philadelphia-wins-opener-lebron-james-jaylen-brown)

## Reporting sources
1. [AP via Fox Sports: 76ers win opening game with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, beating NBA champion Knicks 106-100](https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/76ers-win-opening-game-with-lebron-james-and-jaylen-brown-beating-nba-champion-knicks-106100) (2026-10-20)
2. [Bleacher Report: LeBron, Brown Win 76ers Debut vs. Knicks, Box Score Stats, Highlights for Brunson, Embiid & More](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25513917-lebron-brown-win-76ers-debut-vs-knicks-box-score-stats-highlights-brunson-embiid-more) (2026-10-20)
3. [The Philadelphia Inquirer: Sixers defeat Knicks in season opener; LeBron had some words for NY fans](https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/sixers-knicks-updates-news-lebron-james-jalen-brunson-schedule-highlights-20261020.html) (2026-10-20)
4. [CBS Sports: NBA opening night live updates: Celtics-Pistons, Knicks-76ers, Spurs-Thunder](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-opening-night-live-updates-celtics-pistons-knicks-76ers-spurs-thunder/live/) (2026-10-20)
5. [NBC Sports: Knicks vs 76ers recap, results: Maxey stars as Philadelphia wins opener with new-look squad](https://nbcsports.com/nba/news/knicks-v-76ers-recap-results-maxey-stars-as-philadelphia-wins-opener-lebron-james-jaylen-brown) (2026-10-21)