LeBron James and Philadelphia have made an early statement to spoil the New York Knicks’ NBA ring night at Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win.
Meanwhile Oklahoma City got revenge on San Antonio for the Western Conference Finals upset, winning 116-104 on the road as Victor Wembenyama went a woeful 1-of-13 from the field.
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In a scrappy affair in New York, the reigning champions led 58-54 at half time before the 76ers’ defence kicked into gear in the third quarter, stifling the Knicks as debutants Jaylen Brown and James, in his record 24th NBA season, combined for 16 points.
The turnaround was capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Brown, having been assisted by the NBA’s all time points leader.
The Sixers shot just 11 from 40 from beyond the three-point line, with James missing all three of his attempts.
But having built one of the NBA’s most imposing rosters, the team’s performance was ominous given how little time they have had to gel, with James admitting post-match he in particular was “still getting my rhythm”.
“A little over two weeks with the new squad, but I like the way we played,” the 41-year old told NBC.
“I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively. Didn’t shoot the ball well, but we have capable shooters, we know that.
“Good win for us at the start of the season … blessed to be able to play still at this level.”
When asked if he thought it was meaningful to crash the Knicks’ party, James replied: “Yeah, I do. That’s pretty special.”
James had one tense run-in with a Knicks fan during the second quarter, hitting back at some verbals reacting to his blockbuster trade from the LA Lakers.
“I’m not from the West Coast, I’m from Ohio,” he replied.
“Baby, f**k is you talking about?”
James was far from a dominant force in his first game in new colours, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block.
Brown, the former Boston Celtics star who arrived in Philly in a stunning trade for Paul George in July, scored 19 points with eight rebounds and six assists and center Joel Embiid added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers.
Tyrese Maxey led the way with 28 points.
Jalen Brunson fought hard for the Knicks with 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points with 12 rebounds, but after regaining the lead in the third quarter the 76ers repelled every Knicks charge.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe talks with LeBron James. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)Source: AP
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 Knicks’ championship rings in an emotional pre-game ceremony at the Garden, where the crowd featured diehard celebrity Knicks fans like Ben Stiller and Spike Lee along with other famous faces including rocker Jon Bon Jovi and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Before the club’s third championship banner was raised to the rafters, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 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 added of a Knicks team aiming to be the first repeat champions since 2018.
Both teams were slow to fire offensively. James scored his first points for his new team with a layup that cut the deficit to 19-18 late in the first quarter.
The Knicks pushed their lead to 10 three times in the second quarter but the Sixers chipped away and trailed by four at halftime.
A 76ers steal culminated in Brown’s alley-oop pass to James for a basket that pulled the Sixers within one early in the third quarter and James’s running layup put Philadelphia back in front, 64-63.
They would trade the lead before the 76ers pulled away for good, hanging on after New York cut the deficit to one late in the final period.
Controversy erupted midway through the second quarter, with the Sixers reacting in disbelief to a seemingly missed goaltending call against Andre Drummond.
With Maxey floating a shot towards the hoop from the baseline, Drummond took it out of midair to start a quick rebound, with 76ers players immediately protesting.
James ran to referee Josh Tiven to protest, while Maxey’s jaw dropped as he saw a replay.
Tyrese Maxey was stunned by the non-call.Source: Fox Sports
James was later heard saying the Knicks were receiving a “championship whistle”.
THUNDER TAKE DOWN SPURS
In the nightcap of the opening day triple-header, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and 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 Most Valuable Player reign, made just one basket in 13 attempts, an alley-oop dunk to end the third quarter.
He made his presence felt with 13 rebounds and six blocked shots and scored 12 points largely thanks to 10 free throws.
But the Spurs, led by 24 points from Stephon Castle, ultimately had no answer for an OKC outfit “hungry” after their 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 duel for supremacy in the West for years to come.
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox’s was whistled for a flagrant foul after throwing Thunder center Chet Holmgren to the court early in the second quarter, sparking a shoving match that resulted multiple technical fouls.
The Spurs made a disciplined start to the third quarter and twice got the deficit to seven in the second half only for the Thunder to pull away again.
PISTONS’ EPIC COMEBACK AS CELTICS BOOM RECRUIT CATCHES FIRE
Duncan Robinson scored 21 points to spark a fierce second-half fightback as the Detroit Pistons beat visiting Boston 121-113 on Tuesday in the opening game of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren led Detroit with 22 points each while reserve Javonte Green added 19 points and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 22 points before seizing command with a 23-0 fourth-quarter run, Robinson scoring 12 in the streak, to grab a 112-99 advantage.
Green’s three-pointer with 6:41 remaining gave the Pistons the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter at 101-99 and the Celtics never led again.
“We just didn’t do our brand of basketball good enough in the first half and we had to turn it up,” Cunningham said.
“We had a good talk at halftime and lit that fire a little bit better.
“We’ve just got to get our camaraderie, our synergy, a little bit better, but that will come as the season goes on.”
Boston’s Paul George scored 38 points, the most by any player in his Celtics debut.
The 36-year-old American forward, a nine-time NBA All-Star obtained from Philadelphia in a July trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the 76ers, added five rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each added 17 points while Jayson Tatum had 13 on 6-of-23 shooting.
George scored 12 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter as the Celtics, aided by a 15-0 run, grabbed a 58-45 halftime lead.
Detroit made a 27-9 run in the third quarter, pulling within 88-82 entering the fourth, and Green shot 5-of-8 from three-point range and Cunningham 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to ignite Detroit’s comeback.
The Pistons, Eastern Conference regular-season champions in the last campaign, and runner-up Boston set the stage for an impressive opening night for the NBA’s 81st season.
Superstar LeBron James and his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates begin their campaign later Tuesday at New York as the Knicks raise their 2026 championship banner to the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
Victor Wembanyama and the NBA runner-up San Antonio Spurs launch their season with a later home game against Oklahoma City in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.