James’ late baskets, Maxey’s 27 lift 76ers over Knicks in NBA Cup opener
Philadelphia opened East Group B with a 98-93 victory as James supplied the decisive late baskets and Maxey scored a game-high 27 points.
Focal Brief
LeBron James scored Philadelphia’s go-ahead basket and Tyrese Maxey finished with 27 points as the 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 98-93 on October 30, opening their 2026 NBA Cup campaign with an East Group B victory. (nba.com)
Focal Facts
- Philadelphia beat New York 98-93 on October 30 in the teams’ NBA Cup opener. (nba.com)
- Maxey scored 27 points; James added 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. (nba.com)
- Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds. (aljazeera.com)
- NBA Cup group games also count toward regular-season records.
Focal Point
Philadelphia’s November 6 Cup game at Cleveland is the next signal: watch whether James again controls the closing possessions while Maxey remains the primary scorer against another East Group B opponent. (nba.com)
Philadelphia built a 14-point third-quarter lead before New York rallied behind Brunson, whose step-back three-pointer put the Knicks ahead 90-89 with 1:32 remaining. James answered with a fadeaway to restore the 76ers’ lead, then converted a tip-in from a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left to help secure the result. (aljazeera.com)
The win gave Philadelphia a 1-0 start in Cup play and improved its regular-season record to 5-1. Anfernee Simons contributed 21 points from the bench, including 18 in the second half. (nba.com)
Philadelphia then beat Charlotte 109-104 on October 31, with Maxey scoring 38 while James rested, extending the 76ers’ overall winning run without changing their Cup record. (qa.img.cbssports.com) The consequential question is whether Philadelphia can reproduce its late-game control when Cup play resumes in Cleveland.