LeBron and Maxey lead Philadelphia to victory over the Knicks in the NBA Cup opener

Philadelphia beat the champion again

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 98:93 in the game that opened the fourth edition of the NBA Cup — the league's in-season tournament. AFP reports this. LeBron James scored 20 points, including the decisive putback basket down the stretch, while Tyrese Maxey led the winners with 27 points.

How the game unfolded

The win carried double significance: it was Philadelphia's second victory over the Knicks this young season — on opening night the 76ers had already spoiled New York's championship banner-raising ceremony at Madison Square Garden. According to AFP, the Knicks won the previous edition of the NBA Cup and then beat San Antonio in the NBA Finals, capturing their first championship since 1973.

Key moments of the finish

Philadelphia led by 14 points in the third quarter but withstood a late push by the opponent. Jalen Brunson's three-pointer with 1:32 left put New York ahead 90:89. James restored Philadelphia's lead, and with 11.9 seconds remaining he put back Maxey's miss to make it 96:91. The 41-year-old James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, added nine rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a spectacular chase-down block. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse called it James's best game since joining the club as a free agent in June: 'He's played well, but this was his best game, by far.' For the Knicks, who dropped to 2–4, Brunson scored 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Tournament format

NBA Cup group-stage games will be played throughout November and also count toward the regular-season standings. The quarterfinals are scheduled for December 4–5, the semifinals for December 8–9, and the final will take place on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The rest of the night's games

The Dallas Mavericks, behind Kyrie Irving's 35 points and Cooper Flagg's 33, beat the Houston Rockets 116:111, handing them their first loss of the season. The Rockets led by eight points heading into the final quarter, but Irving's three-pointer with 7:01 left put Dallas back in front for good. 'We didn't show up in the first half, but we definitely showed up in the second,' Irving said after the game.

Other results

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a triple-double — 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists — in Miami's 145:125 win over Indiana. Boston crushed Chicago 125:111: Payton Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, Jayson Tatum added 26, and the home lead grew to as many as 32 points. Orlando won in Toronto 121:114 thanks to Desmond Bane's 28 points, withstanding Scottie Barnes's career-high 41. Detroit beat the still-winless Nets 110:94 in Brooklyn — Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, Ron Holland added 18 off the bench; it was the Nets' fifth straight loss.