LeBron James and Philadelphia beat champion New York 106-100 in NBA season opener
In short
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on 21 October (Korean time) in the opening game of the 2026-27 NBA season. LeBron James, in his first game for Philadelphia, had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and Tyrese Maxey scored 28. Philadelphia trailed 54-58 at halftime.
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The Philadelphia 76ers beat the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden in the opening game of the 2026-27 NBA season, played on 21 October Korean time. Yonhap, Newsis and Kukmin Ilbo reported that Philadelphia came back after trailing 54-58 at halftime. [ 3 , 6 , 8 ]
Philadelphia outscored New York 29-18 in the third quarter to lead 83-76, according to Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo. Seoul Shinmun said James scored six straight points early in the third quarter for a 64-63 lead, and that three-point shots by Anfernee Simons and Jaylen Brown helped Philadelphia end the quarter ahead. Yonhap said Towns cut the gap to 95-96 with 4 minutes 46 seconds left, after which Joel Embiid hit a three-pointer, VJ Edgecombe made a free throw and Maxey dunked to make it 104-98. Newsis said James made two free throws with 7 seconds left. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]
James, who started alongside Embiid, Edgecombe, Brown and Maxey, had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and Newsis said he played 33 minutes 46 seconds. Maxey scored 28 and Brown 19. For New York, Jalen Brunson scored 21 and Towns 19. Yonhap said Brunson, the most valuable player of last season's finals, shot 31.6 percent from the field. Seoul Shinmun said six Philadelphia players scored in double figures. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 11 ]
After the game, James told NBC, as quoted by Yonhap, that he was still finding his rhythm because he had been with the new team a little over two weeks, but that he liked how the team plays. Before the game, New York held a ceremony in which the team raised its title banner, Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo reported. Dong-A Ilbo added that the players received championship rings. [ 3 , 5 , 8 ]
In the other opening games, Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 116-104, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 32 points and Victor Wembanyama scoring 12 for San Antonio, Newsis and Kukmin Ilbo reported. Detroit beat Boston 121-113, Yonhap and Seoul Shinmun reported. Yonhap said Paul George scored 38 points for Boston. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]
Newsis reported that James joined Philadelphia in July on a two-year, 8 million dollar deal after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and considering retirement. Kukmin Ilbo said he accepted less than a tenth of his previous season's salary, an annual average of 3.97 million dollars. Dong-A Ilbo said the opening-game ticket's lowest resale price on game day was 1,865 dollars, which it called the highest ever for a regular-season ticket. Outlets gave James's age as 41 (Newsis, Kukmin Ilbo) or 42 (Dong-A Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo). [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
Why it matters
The game opened the 2026-27 NBA season, and Korean outlets focused on the new Philadelphia roster built around James and Jaylen Brown. Seoul Shinmun described the start of an eight-month season with teams led by star players competing.
Key facts
- Philadelphia beat New York 106-100 in the 2026-27 NBA season opener at Madison Square Garden, coming back after trailing 54-58 at halftime. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 11 ]
- LeBron James had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in his first game for Philadelphia. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]
- Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Jaylen Brown scored 19. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]
- Philadelphia outscored New York 29-18 in the third quarter to lead 83-76. [ 3 , 8 , 9 ]
- Jalen Brunson scored 21 points for New York and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19. [ 3 , 6 ]
- In other opening games, Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 116-104 and Detroit beat Boston 121-113. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Philadelphia beat the defending champion New York 106-100 at Madison Square Garden in the season opener. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 ]
- James finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]
- Philadelphia trailed 54-58 at halftime and won the third quarter 29-18. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 116-104, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 32 points. [ 6 , 8 ]
- Detroit beat Boston 121-113. [ 3 , 11 ]
Still unclear
- James's age: Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo give 42, while Newsis and Kukmin Ilbo give 41. The documents give different ages for James.
- The terms of James's contract with Philadelphia: Newsis reported two years and 8 million dollars, while Kukmin Ilbo reported an annual average of 3.97 million dollars. The two outlets give the deal in different forms and the documents do not reconcile them.
- Dong-A Ilbo reported that the lowest resale price for the opener on game day was 1,865 dollars, the highest ever for a regular-season ticket. Only one document states this.
- New York's Jalen Brunson shot 31.6 percent from the field. Only Yonhap gives this figure.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Detroit-Boston was scheduled to start, according to a Chosun Ilbo preview published on 20 October. [ 1 ]
- New York-Philadelphia was scheduled to start, according to the same preview. [ 1 ]
- San Antonio-Oklahoma City was scheduled to start, according to the same preview. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap published its report on Philadelphia's win over New York. [ 3 ]
- Newsis published its report on the win and the other results. [ 6 ]