Login

October 6, 2026 at 10:48 PM UTC

Postgame Report

Shorthanded 76ers rout the champion Knicks, 120-97, in preseason opener

Without LeBron James, Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia beat New York by 23 on Monday night.

NYK 97, PHI 120. Photo: Yahoo Sports.
NYK 97, PHI 120. Photo: Yahoo Sports.

The 76ers opened their preseason Monday night with a 120-97 win over the New York Knicks, and LeBron James watched it in street clothes. His Philadelphia debut will have to wait. He was ruled out ahead of tip, which made him the loudest absence on a night with several.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were out as well, so the group that was supposed to anchor this team never shared the floor. Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe were the only regular starters in the lineup. The 76ers leaned on a mostly reserve group, and they still pulled away to a margin that was never in doubt late.

The bench was thinner than those three names suggest. Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona were also out. As for James, nobody in Philadelphia expects him to be rushed anywhere. He turns 42 during the season, and the team is likely to manage his minutes and his games carefully from the first week to the last. An October exhibition is an easy place to start.

The Knicks arrived as reigning champions, and they were the team that swept the 76ers in the second round after a 45-37 regular season in Philadelphia. That history made the scoreboard more interesting than a preseason game usually allows, even if neither side will read much into it. The Sixers will take it anyway.

NYK 97, PHI 120. Photo: ESPN.
NYK 97, PHI 120. Photo: ESPN.
NYK 97, PHI 120. Photo: Yahoo Sports.
NYK 97, PHI 120. Photo: Yahoo Sports.

Sources

All game reports