The Knicks lost 93-98 in Philadelphia, spent the night chasing a lead that reached 14, and got within three with eight seconds left. Towns fought, Brunson labored, and a 2-4 team now sits 12th in the conference.
Chasing All Night
New York never led by more than one point. Philadelphia opened with an 8-0 burst for a 20-11 lead in the first quarter and took a 29-21 lead into the second. The Sixers then ran off eight more straight points across halftime, from 44-50 to 44-58, and Mike Brown burned a timeout to stop it. The Knicks lost each of the first two quarters and tied the next one. That left them nine points down going into the fourth, and on the road against LeBron James that is a long way back.
The Last Minute
The Knicks won the fourth 25-21 and trailed only 91-94 with 11 seconds left. Then Tyrese Maxey missed a finger roll, James beat everyone to the rebound and tipped it in. OG Anunoby's dunk made it 93-96 with eight seconds to go. Maxey made both free throws, and Anunoby's 24-foot step-back three missed. Philadelphia went into the final minutes with Simons, Embiid, James, Maxey and Edgecombe, and that group got the stops it needed.
Report Card
Towns: A-minus. He had 22 points and 12 boards on 8-for-15, scored 11 of the team's 25 in the fourth, and was a plus-2. Brunson: C. He scored 24, but it took 8-for-22 shooting and 3-for-10 from deep, and he was a minus-5. Hart: D. He shot 2-for-9 and finished a minus-10, the worst on the roster. Bridges went 5-for-8 with three steals and still came out a minus-6.
Bench Gap
The starters scored 74 points and the reserves scored 19. Simons scored 21 by himself off the Philadelphia bench, going 5-for-8 from three. Jordan Clarkson was a plus-5 in nine minutes, which was the best mark of the night. He also played in the closing group. Tyler Kolek was a plus-2 in 13 minutes. Landry Shamet was a minus-7 in 16. Miles McBride added 10 points. With Jose Alvarado out until at least November 4, Brown has fewer guards to choose from.
Bottom Line
This was New York's third loss to Philadelphia this season. The Sixers were missing Jaylen Brown, and Embiid shot 3-for-12, and the Knicks still lost. At 2-4, New York is one game behind the sixth-place Hawks and level with the 2-4 Heat in 10th. The schedule now gives them three days off before the Nets come to Madison Square Garden on November 2, with the Bulls following two days later. The champs need wins in those two, and they cannot keep falling behind early.
Who won the Knicks vs 76ers NBA Cup game on October 30, 2026?
The 76ers won 98-93 in Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 27 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
When do the Knicks play next?
The Knicks host the Nets on November 2. They then host the Bulls on November 4.
