76ers star Tyrese Maxey ties wild Julius Erving record in Opening Night Knicks takedown
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LeBron James and Jaylen Brown drew most of the attention in their Philadelphia 76ers debuts, but it was Tyrese Maxey who led the way on Opening Night and put his name alongside two franchise legends in the process.
Maxey poured in a game-high 28 points as the 76ers beat the New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, spoiling the defending champions’ ring ceremony. He shot 9-of-19 from the field, went 2-of-9 from three and knocked down 8-of-9 free throws, adding four rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks in 40 minutes.
With that performance, Maxey has now scored at least 20 points in six consecutive season openers. That ties the longest such streak in 76ers history, matching Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Hal Greer.
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The 25-year-old set the tone early, hitting three-pointers right out of the gate and scoring 16 points in the first half. Even so, the Knicks took a 58-54 lead into the break.
Philadelphia flipped the game in the third quarter. The Sixers outscored New York 29-18 in the period and looked their best at the end of it, closing on an 11-0 run to take an 83-76 lead into the fourth. James scored on back-to-back layups off Karl-Anthony Towns turnovers, and Brown capped the run with a buzzer-beating three off an inbounds pass from James.
New York kept it close, but Maxey made the play that put the game away. With Philadelphia clinging to a lead late, the two-time NBA All-Star picked off a pass and went coast-to-coast for a layup to make it 104-98 with 1:52 left. James then sealed the win with two free throws in the final seconds.
Brown finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while James added 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Joel Embiid chipped in 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 21 points but struggled to find his shot, going 6-of-19 from the field.
For Maxey, it was a strong reminder that he remains the engine of Philadelphia’s offense, even with two new stars sharing the floor. The 76ers will try to stay perfect when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their home opener on Thursday night.
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