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LeBron James Scores Crucial Points as 76ers Beat Knicks in NBA Cup Opener

Updated 3:06 AM ET · 2:12 AM ETConfirmed

Sports Desk

In Short: LeBron James scored 20 points, including a late tip-in, to help the Philadelphia 76ers win 98-93 over the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup opener.

Al Jazeera reported that LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, scored 20 points and added nine rebounds, eight assists, and a chase-down block in the 76ers' victory over the Knicks.

People noted that James joined the 76ers as a free agent after leaving the Lakers, and the team lived up to expectations in their 106-100 win over the Knicks.

Sportsnet and Oann both confirmed that Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 28 points, while Jaylen Brown added 19 points and Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

According to Al Jazeera, the 76ers took control early against the sloppy Knicks and led by 14 in the third quarter, weathering a late Knicks surge.

Sportsnet and Oann reported that the Knicks, who received their championship rings and raised their banner, fell to 2-4 with the loss.

Al Jazeera quoted Brunson, who led the Knicks with 24 points, saying, 'He’s been good, but that was his best game, for sure.'

Oann noted that LeBron James got the final word as the Sixers won 106-100, and coach Nick Nurse said, 'It’s certainly been fun these first few weeks.'

Bleacherreport quoted James as saying, 'I do. It's pretty special,' and 'Just trying to make plays to win. Very familiar with every scenario that this game has offered. Blessed to be able to play still at this level and blessed to be able to play in this building. This building is so special, so it's fun.'

The Guardian reported that James helped the Sixers erase a 29-point deficit against the Cavaliers in a previous game, marking the largest comeback in the play-by-play era.

Al Jazeera and People highlighted that James' late tip-in with 11.9 seconds left sealed the win for the 76ers.

Inquirer quoted Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who won the 2020 championship with James on the Lakers, saying, 'For him, it’s more just being that team leader, slowing the pace down, also just getting everybody in the same position.'

Despite disagreements on specific details, all outlets agreed that LeBron James played a crucial role in the 76ers' victory over the Knicks in the NBA Cup opener.

Background

What's confirmed

• James and his agent, Rich Paul, had said the Knicks would have been James’ first choice in free agency had New York not won its first NBA championship since 1973 last season.
• Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown had 19, Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers ruined the Knicks’ championship party.
• NEW YORK — LeBron James got the business from Knicks fans still gloating and riding an emotional high from an NBA championship banner celebration.

What's still developing

• The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973.
• Detroit shook off a slow start to hand the winless Nets a fifth straight defeat in Brooklyn, where Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, and Ron Holland added 18 off the bench in a 110-94 Pistons victory.
• “When I became a free agent and we decided to let the Lakers know that I wouldn’t be returning, he was one of the first people that was on my line, calling me,” James said of his longtime friend during the Sept. 25 installment of his Mind the Game podcast.
• The 76ers, with a new starting lineup headlined by the 41-year-old NBA superstar, lived up to the hype (for at least one night) in their 106-100 win over the league’s reigning champs, the New York Knicks, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct.
• Embiid appeared to wonder during the national anthem where the Knicks’ championship banner was hanging in the rafters as James sat nearby on the bench with his head bowed and hands clasped.
• "I do. It's pretty special," James told NBC Sports' Zora Stephenson (0:42 mark).
• Here are 35 things to know about the East teams standing in the Sixers' way, from LeBron's success against the Knicks to the return of Kawhi Leonard.
• "I've dreamed about playing well in this building," James said, with a glint in his eye, after the 2008 tilt.
• So, with 10 seconds remaining in a 14-point game, the head coach rushed in a substitution so his starter could receive a well-earned standing ovation from New York Knicks fans.
• (The Cavs had even obtained permission, at James' request, to wear their alternate navy blue jerseys to match the debut of his Nike LeBron V "Yankees" colorway.) Less than a week following James' performance, Knicks team president Donnie Walsh hired Mike D'Antoni as New York's newest coach with the explicit purpose to draw James in.
• If April, May or June had gone differently, LeBron James may have been playing for the Knicks, not against them, in Tuesday night’s season opener.
• “I was a part of that at one point, where we hadn’t won a major championship in Cleveland in over 50 years,” James said, alluding to the Knicks snapping a 53-year title drought.

Sources

• Peoplelink
• Sportsnetlink
• Oannlink
• Bleacherreportlink
• Inquirerlink
• Espnlink
• Nydailynewslink
• The Guardianlink
• WarpBeat — background on Trump Demands LeBron James Apologize for National Anthem Behavior link
• WarpBeat — background on Trump Criticizes LeBron James Over National Anthem Behavior link
• Bleacher Report — video link