76ers
Maxey and a 29-18 third quarter carry the 76ers past the Knicks at the Garden
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden. They trailed 58-54 at the half, then won the third quarter 29-18 behind Tyrese Maxey's 28 points. Philadelphia moves to 2-0 and sits first in the East, while New York falls to 0-1.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 16 h ago01The story of the nightThe third quarter decided itNew York had the better first half.
New York had the better first half. The Knicks scored 25 in the first quarter and 33 in the second, and they went to the locker room up 58-54. Then the game turned. Philadelphia scored 29 in the third quarter and held New York to 18. A 58-54 deficit became an 83-76 lead going into the fourth. The Knicks answered with 24 in the final quarter, but the 76ers scored 23 of their own and held on. The game had 6 lead changes. New York's biggest lead was 10 and Philadelphia's was 9, so neither side ever pulled away. The third quarter was the only stretch where one team clearly beat the other.
02Maxey led the wayTyrese Maxey was the best player on the floor.
Tyrese Maxey was the best player on the floor. He scored 28 points on 9/19 shooting and went 8/9 at the line. He added 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 39.6 minutes. Jaylen Brown scored 19 on 7/14 shooting with 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and he finished +17.0, the best mark in the game. LeBron James had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Joel Embiid shot 4/15 but still had 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. For New York, Jalen Brunson scored 21 but needed 19 shots to get there. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds on 6/9 shooting in 23.6 minutes.
03Where it was wonThe numbers inside the arc favored New York.
The numbers inside the arc favored New York. The Knicks won the paint 44-40, out-rebounded Philadelphia 64-62 and got 32 bench points to Philadelphia's 23. Both teams made 11 threes. The difference came from ball security and pace. New York turned it over 14 times to Philadelphia's 10, and the 76ers scored 22 points off turnovers to the Knicks' 18. Philadelphia also won fast-break points 24-16. The 76ers shot 41.6% from the field, and the Knicks shot 37.2%. Philadelphia also had more assists, 28 to 21, and more steals, 8 to 6. Those are the extra possessions and easy baskets that made up the final margin.
04Cold nights on the Knicks' wingsNew York's starting wings struggled.
New York's starting wings struggled. OG Anunoby went 3/12 from the field and 1/9 from three and finished at -20.0, the worst plus-minus in the game. Mikal Bridges scored 4 points on 2/8 shooting in 33.0 minutes and finished at -15.0. The bench kept the Knicks close. Andre Drummond had 12 points and 14 rebounds with 0 turnovers. Jose Alvarado added 8 points and 2 steals. Landry Shamet finished +11.0 and Jordan Clarkson +8.0. Philadelphia's bench was smaller but helped. Anfernee Simons scored 13 with 3 threes, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 10.
05What it meansPhiladelphia is 2-0 and first in the East.
Philadelphia is 2-0 and first in the East. This was its second win over New York this month, after a 120-97 win on 2026-10-05. The 76ers won this one without a big night from Embiid or James, which says something about how deep the roster is. The Knicks are 0-1 and eighth in the East. They had more rebounds, more paint points and a bigger bench total, and they still lost because of turnovers and missed shots on the wings. Brunson's 6/19 shooting and Anunoby's 1/9 from three will be the first things they look at.
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