NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the defending champion New York Knicks to open the season on Tuesday looking to make a statement. The Sixers had themselves a busy offseason with the additions of LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and others, and were looking to make things happen against the champs and spoil their ring night.
The Sixers battled all night in a hostile environment on the road, sustained some Knicks runs, and eventually did enough to earn themselves a 106-100 win to open the season and make a statement in the house of the champs. James, in his Sixers debut, had 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Tyrese Maxey had 28 points, five assists, four rebounds,
three steals, and three blocks while Joel Embiid had 13 points, six assists, and 11 rebounds. VJ Edgecombe added nine points, and Anfernee Simons added 13 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 10 points while also making their Sixers debuts.
Here are the player grades following the win:
Tyrese Maxey: A-plus
The literal first play of the game was an action to get Maxey a catch-and-shoot 3-point opportunity. He drilled it, which then allowed him to get into a rhythm and torture New York every chance he had in this one. Every time he got into the paint, Maxey had his way on the offensive end and had a lot of success. He was carrying Philadelphia’s offense in the early going. Maxey also had an impressive defensive game. He was terrific out on the perimeter as he was able to force some turnovers and his shot-blocking stood out in this one as well.
VJ Edgecombe: C-plus
The young guard got after it on the defensive end as he used his length and quickness to bother the Knicks in the early going. He didn’t get many offensive opportunities in this one, but that’s to be expected. He missed a couple of open looks from beyond the arc, but Edgecombe was helpful in this one. He had some foul trouble in this one, which hurt at times, but the defense was good.
Jaylen Brown: A
Brown had a tough start to this one. He had some opportunities to get into the paint and make something happen, but he came up short on some looks in the paint. He was getting some good looks in this offensive ecosystem, but it took him a bit to really find a groove. However, when that groove came in the third quarter, it was a bit of a difference-maker for Philadelphia. He got aggressive on offense as he used his size and length and he came up with some big defensive plays as he got into the game a bit. Obviously, respect to the Knicks. They have a lot of good defenders, but Brown has an advantage and he used it in the second half.
LeBron James: A-minus
The future Hall of Famer had some tough moments defensively in the early going, but he was also able to do some usual LeBron James-type things. His playmaking was on point as he was barking out orders to make sure everybody was in the right spots and throwing pinpoint passes. He also showed that his 41 year old legs can still get up as he threw down a lob from Brown and he had an explosive move to the basket in the third. He didn’t have the big scoring game that we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing from him, but he gave the Sixers a little bit of everything. He was able to get his teammates involved and found ways to be helpful on the glass.
Joel Embiid: C-plus
The big fella is a notoriously slow starter to every season. That was no exception in this one. He had a rough shooting night in the early going as he missed some easy looks at the basket and in the mid-range while also being blocked on a jumper by former teammate Andre Drummond. After a stint on the bench, Embiid hopped back on the court to finish a mid-range look off the dribble and then knocked down a triple as he was able to get the scoreboard moving. Overall, not a great shooting night, and there were some tough turnovers, but he rebounded well and showed off his playmaking. Those are the positives.
Anfernee Simons: A
After not playing in the preseason due to a hamstring issue, Simons made his Sixers debut and immediate provided some offense. He quickly got to the basket and finished a tough look before then pulling up in the mid-range and knocking down a shot. The 3-point shooting he found in the second half was vital for Philadelphia. The offense he provided off the bench was important and he is going to be a key piece to this group’s success.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: A-minus
The 14-year veteran was able to make things happen for Philadelphia defensively, and then knocked down some huge 3s in the fourth quarter. If the Sixers are going to get this type of performance from Caldwell-Pope, then it changes a lot offensively for Philadelphia. He is a big bonus if the open 3s are falling.
Adem Bona: C
The initial stint for Bona was a struggle as he had a tough time against Drummond. Despite Karl-Anthony Towns being on the bench due to foul trouble, the Knicks were able to succeed against Philadelphia in the paint thanks to the strong play of Drummond against Bona in the paint. His second half was about the same.
Jabari Walker: Incomplete
The Sixers turned to Walker and he gave Philadelphia some energy and made some hustle plays while grabbing a board in his initial stint. He didn't get a look in the second half.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: LeBron James makes debut as Sixers knock off Knicks
