Takeaways: Sixers spoil the Knicks Ring Night with a 106-100 win in the Garden

The Sixers opened the season with a 106-100 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and that’s exactly what New York gets for making everyone sit through that ring ceremony. To be fair, if I hadn’t won a title in over 50 years, I’d probably play a five-minute montage of random New Yorkers holding up a banner too.

Sixers beat Knicks 106-100 on opening night as Tyrese Maxey scores 28 >>

This was the first real look at this team. The preseason didn’t tell us much, since nobody plays the way they actually play until the games count, and the Sixers were starting guys like Jabari Walker and Ariel Hukporti. On Tuesday night, a lot of questions got at least partially answered. Here’s what stood out.

Not That It Matters But This Is Tyrese Maxey’s Team

Three All-Star veterans in the starting lineup, and it was the second-youngest starter who ran the show. Maxey led the Sixers with 28 points on 47% shooting, and it was obvious from the very first possession that everyone on the floor wanted the ball in his hands. He took three of the team’s first four shots and opened 2 for 2 from three.

the Tyrese Maxey experience. 🫵

28 PTS | 5 AST | 3 STL | 3 BLK@PALottery pic.twitter.com/MVizxmwkxK

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 21, 2026

He cooled off from deep the rest of the night, but it didn’t matter. He kept attacking and stayed the offensive engine all game. He also had three blocks and three steals, which shows how much his defense has grown since last season.

He played a game-high 39 minutes, which is a lot for an opener, and the Sixers are going to need the bench to develop so they can get that number down over 82 games. But on opening night, Maxey made it clear. LeBron, Brown and Embiid are here, and this is still his team. Sixers fans should love that.

This Is Real Life.

LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown & Tyrese Maxey in their first game together for the @sixers:

74 points
32 rebounds
24 assists
8 blocks
7 steals
6 threes made
18 free throws made

No other quartet in NBA history has combined to reach all of those marks in any single game. pic.twitter.com/LG9020QWS5

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 21, 2026

Nurse Has to Get Embiid Off the Perimeter:

Embiid had a quiet night, and there’s no hiding from the numbers. He scored 13 points on 27% shooting and only got to the free-throw line twice. He had two steals and three blocks, but he also turned it over four times.

The problem wasn’t Embiid’s ability. It was where he was standing. He spent way too much of the night hanging out at the three-point line and took the third-most threes on the team. He can shoot them, and he hit two, but that’s not where he does the most damage.

This roster is full of shooters now. The best version of this offense has Embiid working down low, where his size overwhelms people, he draws doubles, kicks it out to open shooters and gets to the line, where he’s one of the best big men in the league.

That’s on Nick Nurse to fix. This is the same Embiid who dropped 27 in the preseason finale and looked healthy and aggressive doing it. Put him in the right spots and the production follows. One quiet opener isn’t a story, no matter how badly the national media wants it to be.

The Defense Was a Little Clunky:

Defense was the biggest question mark coming into the season. Maxey is still developing on that end, VJ Edgecombe is only in his second year, and Brown was brought in to be a defensive anchor on the wing. At times on Tuesday, it looked like a group that had never played together, because it basically was. There were communication breakdowns on screens, and Knicks cutters got lost a few times.

Still, the Sixers won both the steals and blocks battle against almost the exact same team that won the title last year. It could have been a lot worse, and honestly, it has been a lot worse the last few seasons. Give this group a few weeks together, and it has the tools to be an elite defensive team.

The Sixers Bench Was Hot and Cold:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anfernee Simons both played around 25 minutes, and both were productive. Caldwell-Pope scored 10 points and went 2 of 6 from three, and Simons added 13 points on 50% shooting, going 3 of 8 from deep. Sixers bench players actually making shots and scoring in double figures is a massive upgrade from last season.

The other two guys who played didn’t help. Adem Bona and Jabari Walker combined for 11 minutes and didn’t do much besides pick up fouls. Two productive bench players isn’t enough over a full season, but it’s one game, and there’s still time for Bona and Walker to grow into their roles. We also haven’t seen Wade yet, and Barlow is out injured. If the trend keeps up, though, the front office might have to start looking for more help.

Cleveland Up Next

The Sixers won on opening night, on the road, against the defending champs, who were missing only Mitchell Robinson. That’s about as good a start as you could ask for. Next up is Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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