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oct 21 2026Madison Square Garden had waited 53 years to see the Knicks receive a championship ring, and the celebration lasted until tipoff. Walt Frazier, champion in 1970 and 1973, presented the rings and the 2026 banner was raised to the rafters. Then the Philadelphia 76ers dampened the evening with a hard-fought victory (106-100) in the debut of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in their new uniforms.
For LeBron it held special significance. In his four previous debuts with a new team (two with the Cavaliers, one with the Heat, and one with the Lakers) he had always lost. This time, booed from his introduction, he finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and it fell to him to close out the game from the free throw line.
An 11-0 run to close the third quarter
The Knicks dominated the first half. They led by as much as ten (28-38) with Andre Drummond establishing himself in the paint while Karl-Anthony Towns accumulated fouls, and went into halftime up 54-58. The game changed in the third quarter, which the 76ers won 29-18. They closed it with an 11-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Brown at the buzzer off a LeBron inbound pass on a sideline out-of-bounds play, to enter the fourth quarter up seven (83-76).
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Embiid and Maxey seal the finish
The Knicks didn't give up. A three-pointer from Towns left them down one in the fourth quarter, but Joel Embiid answered with another three with 3:27 remaining and shortly after found VJ Edgecombe inside for a dunk with a foul (102-98). Embiid, who shot just 4 of 14, was also crucial on defense, with two blocks on Drummond in that final quarter. The clincher came with 1:52 to play: Maxey stole a pass and scored after racing the length of the court (104-98). LeBron, the target of boos all night, sealed the 106-100 victory with two free throws with seven seconds remaining.
The key was defense. The 76ers held the Knicks to 37 percent from the field, and Jalen Brunson, despite his 21 points, shot just 6 of 19. Maxey led all scorers with 28 points and Brown added 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in his first game with Philadelphia.
Quarters: 23-25, 31-33, 29-18, 23-24.
Largest leads: Knicks, 10 (28-38, second quarter). 76ers, 7 (83-76, end of third quarter).
