Philadelphia's new-look roster delivers on opening night
The Philadelphia 76ers signaled on opening night that they plan to contest the New York Knicks for the NBA title, erasing a deficit to win 106-100 on Tuesday after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown over the offseason. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 28 points, while Brown posted 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first appearance since arriving from Boston. James, starting an NBA-record 24th campaign, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.[S1][S2][S3][S5][S6]
Philadelphia's bench made the most of the attention paid to the team's stars. Anfernee Simons connected on three shots from beyond the arc and fellow newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added two more, punishing the Knicks whenever their defense collapsed toward the bigger names. Jalen Brunson scored 21 for New York but made only six of 19 attempts from the floor.[S1]
Before tip-off, the Knicks raised their championship banner and collected their rings, and Brunson addressed the crowd at Madison Square Garden, saying the city's summer joy was something the team hoped to recreate. New York shot 37% overall and 33.3% from three-point range, with Karl-Anthony Towns contributing 19 points and 12 rebounds.[S1][S8]
A late surge turns the game in Philadelphia's favor
The Knicks had swept Philadelphia in the second round last season, part of a 13-game winning streak during a 16-3 finish that featured the best point differential in NBA postseason history. Philadelphia responded by trading for Brown and signing James after the league's career scoring leader chose to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, giving the franchise a roster capable of ranking among the league's strongest.[S1]
The visitors' start was uneven, but they improved as the night progressed. Philadelphia closed the third quarter with an 11-0 burst, finished by Brown's second consecutive three-pointer at the buzzer, for an 83-76 advantage. Maxey's three-point play early in the fourth pushed the margin to 87-78, and after Towns cut it to 96-95 with a three, Joel Embiid answered from long range to keep the 76ers in front. Embiid ended with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.[S1]
Understand this article deeper
Brunson, wearing gold sneakers, could not produce the late heroics that marked New York's run to its first championship since 1973, when it beat San Antonio in five games. The celebratory pregame atmosphere gave way to a first half full of fouls and missed shots; the Knicks built a 10-point lead during one strong stretch but led only 58-54 at halftime.[S1]
Thunder and Pistons open with victories
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 116-104, gaining a measure of revenge against the team that ended its title defense last season. Victor Wembanyama managed 12 points on one-for-13 shooting, his lone basket coming on an alley-oop from De'Aaron Fox as the third quarter expired; he missed his first 12 attempts, including one blocked by 7ft 3in rookie Aday Mara. Jared McCain added 20 points on six-for-eight shooting from three as the Thunder led for all but the opening five minutes.[S1]
The Spurs had won Game 7 of the Western Conference finals 111-103 in Oklahoma City on 30 May, and the rivalry remained heated. Early in the second quarter, Fox received a flagrant foul 1 for throwing Chet Holmgren to the floor after the two became tangled, triggering a scrum in which Wembanyama and Jaylin Williams had to be separated; Wembanyama, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams each drew a technical foul. Oklahoma City followed with a 9-0 run and later scored 13 straight points, capped by Cason Wallace's three for a 59-33 lead, and led 65-44 at halftime.[S1]
San Antonio opened the second half with a 23-9 run to close within single digits after trailing by 26, but Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain combined for 25 second-half points to hold them off. In Detroit, Duncan Robinson scored 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Pistons erased a deficit with 23 unanswered points to beat Boston 121-113. Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham each scored 22 for Detroit, Javonte Green added 19 off the bench in 18 minutes, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Paul George scored a game-high 38 in his Celtics debut, but Jayson Tatum was limited to 13 points on six-for-23 shooting.[S1]
