The Knicks waited 53 years to hang a championship banner at Madison Square Garden, and the Philadelphia 76ers made sure the night ended with an L anyway. Philly won the season opener 106-100 on Tuesday in LeBron James’s first game as a Sixer, as ClutchPoints reported.
Rings before tipoff, a loss after the buzzer. Title defense: 0-1.
The Box Score Story
Tyrese Maxey was the best player in the building. He led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, went 8-of-9 at the line and stuffed the sheet with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. LeBron’s debut line was quietly complete: 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Jaylen Brown added 19 points, 8 boards and 6 assists, and Joel Embiid chipped in 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
For New York, Jalen Brunson scored 21 but needed 19 shots to get there (6-for-19), and Karl-Anthony Towns posted 19 points and 12 rebounds, per 24Hip-Hop. The game turned in the third quarter, when Philly won the period 29-18 and then held off a late Knicks push.
The IAHHM Take
LeBron didn’t need to be the headline, and that’s the scariest part for the East. Asked what impressed him about Maxey, he kept it simple: “His stamina. It seems like he doesn’t get tired.” He also called Maxey “one of the fastest guys in the league.” When the guy with four rings is talking like that about his teammate, the pecking order in Philly might not be what everybody assumed.
The Sixers added nine players this summer, so one night in New York doesn’t settle anything. And the Knicks are still the champs until somebody takes it. But stealing a banner night on the road, in game one, is a statement.
Philly doesn’t get long to enjoy it: the Sixers host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight on the back end of their first back-to-back.
So what is it: real contender, or a one-night spoiler? Tell us where you stand.
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Source: ClutchPoints | 24Hip-Hop
