NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia 76ers saw the debuts of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in their impressive 106-100 road win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. The Sixers spoiled ring night for the defending champs and they were able to make a statement in the early going of the season.

Brown finished with 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting, knocked down two triples, and had eight rebounds and six assists. He was a plus-17 in the 35 minutes he played (take that analytics people) and he was a big part of Philadelphia's defensive unit in the second half.

It's game 1 of 82, but Brown is happy with what he and the Sixers were able to accomplish on opening night.

"Just trying to win as many games as possible, stack days, and I think it's still early for us," Brown said after the win. "We're still figuring out a lot of stuff, so we still have a lot to learn and grow, but it's good to learn and grow and win at the same time."

Things were understandably clunky for the Sixers at times on Tuesday. There were moments where players didn't know exactly where they needed to be and there were some tough turnovers, but the Sixers buckled down when they needed to. The execution was much better after halftime, and great in the fourth quarter to close this game out and open the season on a high note. Work to do, for sure, but a good start.

"I think it was just OK," Brown said of the team's chemistry. "We got a lot of room for growth, room for improvement. So I'm looking forward to building with my teammates, but it's always good when you can win and learn at the same time."

Brown, a very high IQ basketball player, understands the talent on this team. The Sixers are going to win a lot of games just because of the presence of himself, James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe as well as a strong supporting cast. Now, the goal and focus is to build that cohesion.

"I think we're just figuring it out," Brown finished. "We're not even at the tip of the iceberg in terms of hitting chemistry, understanding yourself on the floor, understanding our spacing. We're still at the very early stages of what we could possibly be. So it's a good sign that we can win while still being at that early stage."

The Sixers will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in the home opener.