76ers spoil the Knicks' ring night 106-100 as LeBron James and Jaylen Brown debut

The Knicks got their rings. The 76ers got the win.

Philadelphia rallied for a 106-100 victory at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, spoiling the night New York raised its NBA championship banner. It was also the first game for LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Sixers uniforms.

Maxey leads the way

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points. Brown, acquired from Boston over the summer, had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his debut.

James opened his NBA-record 24th season with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Philadelphia's bench made the Knicks pay for keying on the big names. Anfernee Simons hit three 3-pointers and fellow newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two.

How the Sixers pulled away

The first half was full of fouls and missed shots. The Knicks built a 10-point lead before Philadelphia cut it to 58-54 at halftime.

The Sixers closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run. Brown capped it with his second straight 3-pointer, a buzzer-beater that put Philadelphia up 83-76.

Maxey's three-point play early in the fourth quarter made it 87-78. New York got within 96-95 on a Karl-Anthony Towns 3-pointer, but Embiid answered with a 3 of his own and the Sixers never gave up the lead.

A tough night for the champs

Jalen Brunson, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, scored 21 points but shot 6-for-19 while wearing gold sneakers for the occasion. Towns finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. New York shot 37% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.

Before the game Brunson told the Garden crowd, "The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again."

The loss was a reversal of last spring, when New York swept Philadelphia in the second round on its way to the title. The Sixers answered by trading for Brown and signing James after he left the Los Angeles Lakers.