76ers 106, Knicks 100: “Both teams played hard”

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 20: OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks blocks the shot from Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers on October 20, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

They certainly did, just as Muruju rightfully mentioned in the Postgame. It’s usually the only thing coaches can really be proud of in a season opener because not much else of your summer plans worked out. Rotations are still clunky, outside shots are still on vacation, chemistry doesn’t feel like chemistry. All of these were true for both the Philadelphia 76ers and your New York Knicks. Unfortunately, the guys from the “City of Brotherly Love” at least have the win to feel good about.

If you’re a historically accomplished but gigantically insecure four-time NBA champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer, that maybe seemed “special” to you, but overall the fact remains that season openers always get way too much talk and not nearly enough perspective. Some might quip, “Easy for you to say, fan of a losing team on Opening Night,” and rightfully so. But seriously, nothing happened on the shiny Madison Square Garden floor last night that should worry anyone who likes orange and blue more than red and blue. Nothing, nada, nichts! At least not for now.

Mikal Bridges disappearing offensively was a problem last season, remember? KAT foul trouble? Yup, heard that one before. Inconsistent point of attack defense, lack of secondary creation, spotty free-throw shooting? Shut up, Captain Obvious! Most of the problems the Knicks had last night have been part of their DNA for quite some time now, and it doesn’t change the fact that this is still mostly the same team that earned this beautiful banner going up into the rafters of the World’s Most Famous Arena before the game. A team that can still look back on a historically dominant postseason run in which they didn’t just win a title but annihilated teams along the way.

.@TheGarden 🟰 our world pic.twitter.com/fguuDuCgT1

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 21, 2026

That team, for the most part, also did a fairly decent job of showing up against Philly, considering how often champions struggle the first time back in serious game action. The Knicks didn’t play entitled, fought hard for loose balls, and matched the intensity of the Sixers, who clearly were out to prove all that talk about them being a superteam is real (shhh, I’d say it isn’t, but nevermind). The Knicks got dealt a tough hand with early foul trouble for Karl-Anthony Towns, but it didn’t even seem to matter as newly aquired Knick Andre Drummond channeled his inner Moses Malone. If the Knicks somehow had found a way to win, he would have been one of the biggest stories of the game. Unfortunately, he finished more like Jerome James later on, blowing close-range opportunity after close-range opportunity. Still, hats off to the big guy; the Knicks never thought that they would need him for 24 minutes.

What they probably thought, though, was that Jalen Brunson would have a better time finishing in the lane. Philly’s seemingly antiquated remnants of an older NBA are still incredibly effective, but the reigning Finals MVP creates like nobody else in the league. The captain and newly crowned king of the city basically got all the little floaters and mid-rangers that he wanted. Yet last night Brunson’s offense was quite a bit off, even if he was getting to his spots. It might have to do with his wrist surgery in the summer, the banner night taking a lot out of him, or just some bad luck. Whatever it was, the Knicks should not be worried about it.

There are things from the opening night that the Knickerbockers have to take a look at and definitely things to work on. That’s especially true when you think of Philly as a potential matchup in the postseason. Tyrese Maxey is still the type of player who the Knicks can struggle with: a high-octane, immensly fast combo guard dynamo who loves to travel into the lane. With more weapons around him, it becomes a lot harder for the Knicks to collapse on him and shrink the court to their advantage. Yesterday it wasn’t even the three-point shooters that hurt Mike Brown’s squad most (Philly only shot 28 percent from downtown), but the Sixers constantly found guys in the dunker spot with drop-offs for easy buckets.

"I think it's good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain, humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what's going to happen."

Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks losing tonight and how it can help them improve: pic.twitter.com/sDFWPHE4Lh

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 21, 2026

Physically, Philadelphia is also a load to deal with, at least when healthy, and Joel Embiid is out there fit enough to complain his way through a game. He is still a massive post-up presence; LeBron is huge at any position he plays; and Jaylen Brown loves to venture inside, as well as punish smaller defenders. You could tell that Nick Nurse instructed his players to really seal off the mostly smaller New York wings not named Ogugua Anunoby Junior inside and then take advantage of said matchups. Brunson, Josh Hart, even Landry Shamet, and Deuce McBride constantly got caught underneath their own basket, and all that was left for them was fouling or taking the ball out of the basket.

On the other end of the court, Philadelphia struggled to keep the Knicks out of the paint as well, but yesterday they made a strong adjustment with LeBron playing small-ball center and thus becoming one of the primary defenders for the top of the key screens on Towns as a passing hub. If that can remain a thing all season long—physically and mentally for a soon-to-be 42-year-old—remains anybody’s guess and will be dealt with down there in Pennsylvania. For one night, it certainly made the Knicks think a bit and led to some unfortunate turnovers. It also made Philadelphia move faster in transition, one thing that clearly upset Mike Brown after the game and has to be looked at on film.

In the end, the Knicks head man has been around long enough to know that most of these issues can be worked upon, and I bet that when he shed his old-school Vans kicks late last night on his couch, he was already thinking of how his team could do things differently next time around. It’s one of the hallmarks of the current Knicks nucleus; they usually find a way to adjust, a way to deal with adversity. And recent history would lead you to believe that this will continue now that they are the reigning champions of the basketball world. The biggest challenge for now is leaving that wonderful title run and all the accompanying hoopla behind and dealing with the task at hand.

The bad news: It won’t get any easier in Boston on Friday for the second game of the season. The good news: Another clunker there could also be explained away. The season is young. But make no mistake, there will come a time when “playing hard” won’t be enough.