Philadelphia erased a first-half deficit to spoil the champions' season opener in New York. The 76ers' rebuilt rotation held the champions under a point per possession and smothered Jalen Brunson's pick-and-roll game.

Before tipoff, Hall of Famer Walt Frazier handed out the Knicks’ championship rings, and a ‘2025-26 World Champions’ banner was raised. The title was the franchise’s first since 1973 and came with a five-game Finals win over San Antonio.

The celebration did not carry onto the floor for long. Philadelphia trailed from late in the first quarter. The Knicks took the opening period 25-23 and the second 33-31. The visitors then closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run that flipped the game. New York won the fourth 24-23, which was not enough to recover.

Philadelphia kept the champions under a point per trip

The win came without much shooting help. The 76ers made 41.9% from the field and 27.5% from 3-point range. New York was colder overall at 37.2%, though it hit 33.3% from deep.

The difference came at the defensive end. On 14 possessions where New York set a ball screen for Brunson using the player Joel Embiid was guarding, the Knicks scored only five points, according to NBA.com. That works out to 0.36 per chance, compared with 1.24 in last spring’s playoff series. New York swept Philadelphia in that second-round matchup. It came early in a 13-game winning streak during the Knicks’ 16-3 playoff run.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points in only 24 minutes because of first-half foul trouble. Backup center Andre Drummond filled the gap with 12 points and 14 rebounds in 24 minutes.

New arrivals gave the 76ers scoring from everywhere

Philadelphia’s offense was spread across its stars. Jaylen Brown scored 19, LeBron James added 14 and Embiid had 13. Maxey, Brown, James and Embiid each had at least five assists.

The night carried milestones for two of them. It was Brown’s first game since Philadelphia acquired him from Boston. The opener also began James’ 24th NBA season, a league record. It was his 35th career appearance at Madison Square Garden and his 25th win there.

The newcomers off the bench delivered key outside shots. Anfernee Simons made three 3-pointers and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two. On a night when Philadelphia struggled from deep overall, those makes counted.

The result puts the 76ers first in the Atlantic Division at 1-0. The Knicks sit fourth in the division at 0-1, and 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams return to action quickly. Philadelphia hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, October 22, while New York visits the Boston Celtics on Friday, October 23.