LeBron James and his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates spoiled the New York Knicks’ season-opening festivities Tuesday, defeating the defending NBA champions 106-100 on the night they raised their championship banner at Madison Square Garden.
The 41-year-old James, beginning a record-extending 24th NBA season with his fourth team, finished with 14 points and seven assists, offering an early glimpse of his playmaking role alongside Philadelphia’s younger talent. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points as the 76ers handed the Knicks a disappointing start to their title defense.
“I could be a lot better,” James told NBC. “Still getting my rhythm, obviously just a little bit over two weeks with the new squad.
“But I like the way we played. I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively.”
Jaylen Brown, the former Boston Celtics star who arrived in Philadelphia in a stunning trade for Paul George in July, scored 19 points with eight rebounds and six assists, while center Joel Embiid added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 21 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds. But after regaining the lead in the third quarter, the 76ers repelled every Knicks charge.
The Knicks ended a 53-year title drought with their victory over the San Antonio Spurs in last season’s NBA Finals.
Knicks legends, including Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier, handed out the team’s championship rings during an emotional pregame ceremony at Madison Square Garden. The crowd included diehard celebrity Knicks fans Ben Stiller and Spike Lee, along with other famous faces, including rocker Jon Bon Jovi and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Before the team’s third championship banner was raised to the rafters, NBA Finals MVP Brunson told fans the Knicks were “ready to turn the page as a team.”
“But one thing I would like to say, the joy that this city had this summer, we’d love to replicate that again,” Brunson said of a Knicks team aiming to become the first repeat champions since 2018.
James, a four-time NBA champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer, acknowledged that winning on another team’s championship celebration night was especially satisfying.
“It’s pretty special,” he said.
In the nightcap of the opening-day tripleheader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder rode a hot start to a 116-104 victory over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Wembanyama, widely tipped to end Gilgeous-Alexander’s two-year reign as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, made just one field goal in 13 attempts, an alley-oop dunk to end the third quarter.
He made his presence felt with 13 rebounds and six blocked shots, while scoring 12 points, largely on 10 free throws.
But the Spurs, led by 24 points from Stephon Castle, ultimately had no answer for an Oklahoma City team that was “hungry” after its title defense ended in a seven-game loss to San Antonio in last season’s Western Conference finals.
“Obviously, this is the team that eliminated us from achieving our goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But for us, I think it was more like we’re just happy to be back. It’s a longer summer when you don’t win, and we felt that this summer.”
There was plenty of tension between the young teams tipped to battle for supremacy in the Western Conference for years to come.
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was assessed a flagrant foul after throwing Thunder center Chet Holmgren to the court early in the second quarter, sparking a shoving match that resulted in multiple technical fouls.
The Spurs made a disciplined start to the third quarter and twice cut the deficit to seven points in the second half, only for the Thunder to pull away again.
The NBA’s 81st season tipped off in Detroit, where the Pistons used a fierce second-half comeback to spoil George’s 38-point Celtics debut in a matchup between last season’s top two teams in the regular-season standings.
Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren scored 22 points apiece, while Duncan Robinson scored 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Pistons rallied for a 121-113 victory, aided by a 23-0 scoring run.
