NEW YORK — The New York Knicks raised their first championship banner since 1973 on Tuesday night, then watched a retooled Philadelphia 76ers team leave Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win in the season opener for both clubs.
Tyrese Maxey paced Philadelphia with a game-high 28 points. Jaylen Brown, acquired from Boston over the summer, chipped in 19 points to go with eight boards and six assists. LeBron James, starting an NBA-record 24th season and his first in Philadelphia, posted 14 points, nine boards and six assists. Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, though he made only 4 of 15 shots.
Philadelphia trailed by double digits before an 11-0 burst late in the third quarter, finished by Brown with a second consecutive 3-pointer at the buzzer, put the visitors up 83-76. Karl-Anthony Towns hit a deep 3 with 4:37 left to pull New York within 96-95, but the Knicks scored on just two of their last eight trips down the floor. Maxey picked off an OG Anunoby pass for a breakaway dunk, and James blocked a Mikal Bridges layup during the closing stretch.
Jalen Brunson, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, scored 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds. New York shot 37 percent from the field and a third of its 3-point tries, and the Knicks managed only five points on 14 possessions when they tried to pull Embiid into ball screens for Brunson.
Before tipoff, the Knicks received their rings and unveiled the banner from their five-game Finals win over San Antonio. The same New York team swept Philadelphia in the second round of last season playoffs, a result that pushed the 76ers to trade for Brown and sign James after he left the Los Angeles Lakers.
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