Category: Sports News

NEW YORK — The defense comes through in the end, just like we all expected.

The Sixers opened the 2026-27 season with a nail-biting 106-100 victory over the defending champion New York Knicks Tuesday night.

Tyrese Maxey had a great night leading the Sixers with 28 points, shooting 9-of-19 from the floor with five assists and three steals. Jaylen Brown seemed to get more comfortable as the game went on, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and one big block on Jalen Brunson to end the game.. 

LeBron James, also making his Sixers debut, had 14 shooting 5-of-13 along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Joel Embiid struggled offensively in the second half but made some big plays defensively, finishing with 13 points on 15 shots with 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• The first possession of the season saw an Embiid post-up get swung around to Maxey for a three on the opposite side of the floor. Hopefully there will be a lot of that this season. Embiid was stripped by Towns shortly after, but Maxey stole the loose ball back and buried another three for a quick 6-0 start. New York missed their first four shots of the game before a putback from Bridges and a Brunson three trickled in. The Sixers were also able to send KAT to the bench with two fouls, quickly bringing Andre Drummond into the game. Drum finally got Embiid back, blocking one of his old teammate’s pull-up jumpers.
• The first bucket for the new guys was Brown cutting to the basket, with LeBron hitting him with a nice bounce pass for the layup. Shortly after, Brown blocked an OG Anunoby three, though it a took a challenge to overturn it from a foul call.

• The initial stagger ended being different than the preseason. The first two Sixers subs of the night were Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope checking in for Maxey and Brown. The Sixers were generating open threes, but the first two Maxey hit to start the game remained their only shots from deep that had fallen. Drummond continued to put in a solid shift against Embiid as a couple offensive rebounds helped the Knicks offense get going. Embiid continued to make enemies in this building as Landry Shamet started jawing at him in between plays.
• Simons hit a couple pull-up jumpers as the Sixers’ offense fell into a rut, something that could become a theme, especially from behind the arc. Brown missed a pull-up, turned the ball over, and split a pair of free throws across a three-possession stretch. A layup from Brunson put the Knicks up by two to close the first.

Second Quarter

• LeBron had a layup just rim out, and Adem Bona slightly mistimed the jump for the putback. As Drummond pulled down his fourth offensive rebound of the game, Nick Nurse opted to go with Jabari Walker at the five. Walker made a nice find to Maxey, but defensively the unit was struggling to get stops.
• Drummond was playing so well the arena had begun to randomly chant his name. That being said, he got away with one of the most egregious goaltends that left both Maxey and Walker stunned at the no-call. It’s fitting that the two guys lighting up the NBA world on opening day were Drummond and Paul George.

• The return of Embiid to court helped them stop an 11-2 Knicks run. He and Maxey each hit a midrange before he hit a three from the top of the key. Towns returned to the game as well and punished the Sixers’ defense off the dribble. It didn’t help that the Sixers still struggled to buy a three on their end. They swung to a wide open KCP who had the ball go all the way down and rim out.
• Easily the best thing to come out of the first half was how Embiid was moving. He was able to get back and swallow up multiple shots and passes at the rim. He checked out with two minutes in the half a +4, giving us our first look at small-ball five LeBron minutes. James got tied up by Miles McBride for a jump ball, but won it and knocked down a midrange jumper. Offensively they made some good reads to find open layups, a lot came as a result of picking on Brunson.

• On the other end though, they couldn’t keep Brunson off the foul line, including a defensive three second violation with 11 seconds left in the half. The Sixers were at least able to get a stop on the ensuing possession, keeping themselves to within four at the break.

Third Quarter

• LeBron with a steal and fired it up the court to Maxey for the fast break layup. He made a good read from the middle of the paint to find Maxey open in the corner for three, but the Sixers continued to miss those good looks. Brown was finally able to get downhill and behind the defense for a dunk, but Josh Hart drilled a three coming out of a timeout before Maxey and VJ Edgecombe both missed another open corner triple.
• Nick Nurse switched LeBron onto KAT to start the second half and that did junk up the Knicks’ offense to start the third. With Embiid roaming the Knicks found themselves taking shots not far from the rim, but with multiple defenders contesting it hard. The Sixers used that time to get out in transition and go on a 6-0 run to briefly retake the lead, but a Josh Hart three took it right back.
• Simons drilled his first three of the night and the team’s first of the second half, making the team just 4-of-21 from beyond the arc on the night. The offense got stuck in its tracks again, but just before he got doubled, Brown was able to find Simons again, who drilled another one with the hand in his face.

• Maxey, who was easily the best Sixer on the floor all night, made a spectacular finish to pull the Sixers within two. The Sixers continued to actually make three-pointers, which allowed them retake the lead once again. Simons drilled another one and Brown got left so alone in the corner he took his sweet time to sink one. After both teams had ugly possessions, the Sixers got one last chance with 1.5 seconds left. Brown got open again and buried the three at the buzzer off a great LeBron pass.

Fourth Quarter

• Embiid and LeBron returned to the game to start the fourth, but LeBron quickly picked up his fourth foul of the night, inviting more caution for him. Maxey was rewarded for his downhill aggression, drawing fouls on two straight possessions including an and-1 floater over Anunoby. The Knicks contested a LeBron shot pretty well and turned Maxey over, leading to a pair of threes to cut the lead to two and force a Sixers timeout.
• Maxey got to the line again out of the timeout and KCP hit a pair of threes to stop the bleeding. Bona was having a rough night. He made some nice stands during this stretch but the team wasn’t able to close those possessions with rebounds and the Knicks again made them pay with second-chance points.
• Embiid made some big blocks, but had been scoreless for much of the second half. The Sixers were teetering after coming up empty on their previous possession despite two offensive rebounds of their own. As the ball was swung around, Embiid was left open on the three-point line and drilled it, extending the lead to four and prompting a timeout from Mike Brown. Brunson got a good shot over Edgecombe coming out of the timeout but it rimmed out. Embiid made a nice high-low pass to Edgecombe who drew a foul coming back down the floor, but he was only able to split the pair.

• KAT drilled a high arching three with a hand in his face to cut it right back down to two. The Sixers once again leveraged the double on Maxey, dropping it to Embiid, then Edgecombe on the block who this time finished the layup. Maxey picked off the following Knicks pass to push it back up to six with just under two minutes remaining.

• Bridges got open for a layup coming out of the timeout but LeBron was able to get all the way over to get a hand on it. Once again Maxey’s attention got a Sixer open under the basket, but LeBron somehow wedgied the layup. The Sixers won the jump ball, but Brown turned it over with 49 seconds left.
• Brunson was able to beat Maxey off the drive, prompting another timeout from Nurse with 41 seconds to go. The Sixers ran a really uninspired possession that led to a horrible Embiid three, but they were able to force a miss on the other end thanks to Brown blocking Brunson’s three. LeBron got the rebound and was fouled with 7 seconds left, finally putting this one away.

Ben Simmons was well on his way to making a comeback in the NBA.

That was until he tore his Achilles while practicing last Sunday.

Now, he will miss the rest of the 2026-2027 season.

After the Kings finished wrapping up practice on Tuesday, Simmons’ teammate told the media that it was “probably the worst thing I’ve seen on the basketball court.”

“Sunday when he did it, there was obviously a different feel in the gym and it was a tough situation,” Murray said. “For me, I got to be able to step up for what he was going to bring us.”

Murray added that he is hoping Simmons comes back next year, “in a great way.”

Simmons’ NBA journey has not been easy.

In 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers selected him with the No.1 overall pick of the draft but he did not play in a single game due to him injuring his foot during the middle of NBA training camp.

Midway through the year, Philadelphia announced he would miss the rest of the season after it was revealed he had broken his right foot.

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Through the next seven years, Simmons would spend time dealing with nagging injuries that specifically pertained to his knee and back.

Last year, he opted not to play in the NBA so that he could focus on rehabbing all of his injuries properly.

Before training camp began this year, Simmons signed with the Kings on a one-year, $3.5 million deal that included $1 million guaranteed if he made the opening night roster.

Simmons appeared in only two games during the preseason but was impressive, including last Friday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, when he scored 14 points, with eight rebounds, seven assists, and one steal.

While he won’t be suiting up during the Kings’ opening night game against the Clippers on Wednesday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks provided a silver lining, when he reported that the team intends to give him his full salary.

Unsurprisingly, guard Brandon Williams has made the Golden State Warriors roster. While he was one of just 15 players with a contract on the team heading into the preseason, Williams’ contract included no guarantees. So if another training camp invitee or preseason acquisition forced their way onto the roster, Williams would have been the presumed odd-man out. Instead, Williams’ contract is now partially guaranteed for roughly $1.4 million of the roughly $2.6 million salary he would receive if he remains with the team for the entire season.

Once he plays in an official game with the Warriors, Williams will have appeared in five NBA seasons, debuting with the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2021-22. While he was primarily a G-League player for most of his career, receiving occasional cups of coffee in the NBA, Williams had his biggest opportunity last season wit the Dallas Mavericks. In 66 games, Williams averaged 13.0 points and 3.9 assists in 22.2 minutes per game.

While Williams’ inconsistent outside shot has limited his upside, he is one of the most dynamic on-ball creators on the Warriors roster and is expected to lead a significant portion of second-unit offense. Even if he ends up failing to find a role in Golden State though, he’s at least now guaranteed $1.4 million this year regardless of what happens going forward.

The Golden State Warriors have not been subtle in their preseason praise of rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. The 14th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has made a strong first impression with fans, coaches, and his teammates. With expectations low, especially with Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely, Lendeborg is seemingly the only acquisition that has the fanbase excited. Dubs star Draymond Green is not doing anything to hold back the pressure either. On the latest edition of The Draymond Green Show, Green chatted with guest Taylor Rooks about Lendeborg and gave some effusive praise.

“The Golden State Warriors has found the next face of the franchise,” Green said.

Green went on to add that Lendeborg is his pick to win Rookie of the Year this season, a particularly bold claim given most experts agree this is one of the strongest rookie classes in recent league history.

It’s worth noting that Green has always hyped up young players. He talked about Jacob Evans as a 16-game player that would be impactful in a playoff rotation. He publicly praised James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga during their tumultuous tenures. Many fans will rightly point out that Green also made positive statements about Jordan Poole before and after he punched Poole during a practice. So… it’s worth taking with a grain of salt.

However, this is far from a one-off statement. Green, Steph Curry, Steve Kerr, and almost every prominent member of the organization has been united in sharing significant excitement about Lendeborg’s potential to make an impact immediately. He’s backed it up on the court as well during the Summer League and preseason. He’ll officially begin his NBA career tomorrow when the Warriors tip off their season against the Lakers.

After two tanking seasons, almost 120 losses and one hand tied behind his back by his own organization, Jordi Fernández will finally get to do his job. 

For the first time he’ll be coaching a non-tanking team, one with at least a chance to win every night, starting with Wednesday’s opener against Charlotte. 

Yes, that means for the first time since coming to Brooklyn in April 2024, there will be expectations on Fernández and urgency around his Nets. But that has him more excited than anxious. 

“Yeah, more [excited]. I think anxiety is usually negative. It’s a good sense of urgency. It’s positive. It’s excited about something,” Fernández said. “We cannot think that all this feeling is going to take us to do something wrong. It’s just control what you can control, the excitement. 

“Probably the first stint of each player, they’re going to be gassed in the first few minutes. It’s because it’s normal, it happens every year. So everything we’ve worked on here behind closed doors, now we can display it in front of our crowd, and show them how hard we’re willing to play for them, for the community. So, it’s exciting.” 

Fernández’s excitement at finally having a chance to do his job — unencumbered by lottery positioning, the greater good or any such concerns — was clear to his players. 

“Jordi’s really excited. He feels like going into every game, we’ve got a chance to win every single game,” Julius Randle said earlier. “We’re coming in trying to win. It’s as simple as that.” 

Likely no Nets are feeling that more than the ones who had to suffer through the past two tanking seasons in Brooklyn. 

Once the Nets committed to a rebuild, they slogged through a 26-56 campaign followed by last season’s 20-62 mark. In an upside-down bizarro world, victories were greeted with fury by fans and losses were celebrated for lottery positioning. 

But unlike Charlotte’s lengthy tank — they’re riding a stretch of 10 straight seasons in the lottery — Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks always planned a short two-year tank. 

That stretch is mercifully over. 

How well it served its purpose remains to be seen. 

The Nets will surely lose their fair share of games, but they’ll at least be vertically aligned in trying to win. 

That in itself has created a different vibe in the locker room. 

“Everybody’s excited about it. With that being said, there’s no benefit from losing: nothing,” Noah Clowney said. “Playing games, we think we’re going to go in every game with the idea of winning it, put our best foot forward. And I think that excites a lot of people. So yeah, I would say it’s a lot more excitement in the building.” 

Keon Ellis — a summer free agent signee — may be one of the newest Nets, but he has known Fernández the longest. 

The veteran guard played in Sacramento from 2022-24, when Fernández was the Kings’ associate head coach. And while Ellis said Fernández isn’t the most outwardly emotive, he can sense the latter’s excitement. 

“It’s tough to tell with Jordi because he’s not like an expressive guy, but yeah. So I know he’s excited, just because that’s what we’re here for, long summer. So, just happy to get back to it,” Ellis said. “I know everyone’s excited.” 

Between owing a pick swap to Houston and the NBA’s recent lottery reforms, the Nets have no reason to tank this season. 

That’s why Marks went out and traded for a floor-raiser in Randle. 

“Sean brought me here because of that, because it was time to win. So, that’s just what it is. I’m not here to lose. I don’t think anybody’s here to lose this year,” Randle told The Post, the “this year” caveat hanging in the air. 

“We definitely want to be a team that goes out there and competes every single night. We’re playing to win. That’s as simple as I can put it.”

As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to open the 2026-2027 NBA season on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors, they could be shorthanded.

Per Khobi Price of The California Post, the Lakers announced that guard Collin Sexton is questionable to play due to a right soleus strain.

Along with Sexton potentially being out, Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee contusion) are listed as out.

Sexton has been sidelined through all of training camp due to what the Lakers were calling a lower-leg injury, causing him to miss all five preseason games.

On Monday, Sexton appeared in his first full Lakers practice and told Melissa Rohlin of The California Post he’s been “taking it day by day.”

Sexton added that he felt he had a “really good practice” and was “super excited to be back out there with the guys.”

After spending the last eight years of his career playing for the Cavaliers, Jazz, Hornets and Bulls, Sexton signed with the Lakers over the offseason on a two-year, $19 million deal to play on the team’s second-scoring unit.

The former No. 8 overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft has averaged 18.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

For the Lakers, the potential absence of Sexton will likely mean Ziaire Williams will take his spot in the rotation.

Like Sexton, Williams was one of the eight new contracts Rob Pelinka handed out over the offseason.

Williams appeared in two games during the preseaon and averaged 13.5 points per game while averaging 15.5 minutes on the court.

The Lakers and Warriors will tip off at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site that visit other fan sites.

It’s Game Day, Pounders! The last time the Spurs saw the the Thunder it was in the rearview mirror on their way to the Finals, as Devin Vassell ended their postseason with one final, borderline disrespectful dunk.

Tonight, the Thunder will get their first crack at the San Antonio since that exclamation point back in May, and the Silver and Black get the chance to start their season with a warning shot for the rest of the NBA.

Since then, the Spurs have overhauled their big man rotation, drafting three big men (though Jayden Quaintance is still rehabbing his pre-draft injury) and knicking Tobias Harris away from the Detroit Pistons.

The Thunder did some drafting of their own, but lost some depth in the off-season, saying goodbye to Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and the universally loathed (in San Antonio, at least) Lu Dort.

Whose off-season additions will pay off more? Who will come into the game with more of a chip on their shoulders, and with more frustrations to unleash?

I don’t know, but between the rust of a season opener and the still-smouldering fire of their postseason series, I expect the game will go down to the wire once again.

Game Prediction:

Devin Vassell gets to lay down another disrespectful dunk in this one! Go, Spurs, Go!

San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
October 20, 2026 | 8:30 PM CT
Streaming: Peacock
TV: NBC
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

The Knicks’ famous fans were out in force to see the 2025-26 NBA champions receive their rings and open up the season, with the hopes of successfully defending their title.

Many of the celebs who took in the Knicks’ playoff run last spring returned on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden as Spike Lee showed off his usual flair for the team, sporting an orange-and-blue pinstriped suit, along with “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay, comedian Tracy Morgan and actor Ben Stiller. 

Hargitay was seen giving Morgan a big hug during the pre-game show, while Stiller was seen in the background snapping a photo. 

“I know I’m going to cry tonight,” Morgan told “NBA Showtime” ahead of the game. “Been a long time and then we going to turn the page. It’s time to defend now. .. We going to run it back. … I’m not scared. We not scared of nobody.” 

Other celebs on hand included Fat Joe, Edie Falco, Steve Schirripa, John Turturro, Action Bronson and Sam Morril. 

Jordyn Woods, who tied the knot with Karl-Anthony Towns in August, was courtside for the game, with a gold bag in honor of ring knight. 

Singer Bon Jovi was courtside for the game, along with NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell.

Mets owner Steve Cohen was seen at the game, and failed presidential candidate Chris Christie was spotted in the stands. 

One notable star was not there for the ceremony: “Dune” star Timothée Chalamet. 

Chalamet had been one of the Knicks’ biggest A-list fans making trips to New York and various road games during the championship run. 

“The Knicks fan base needs to be studied and observed. We move,” Morgan said. “We take over stadiums. We take it over. What the Knicks did doesn’t go down in basketball. That happens in soccer. We pulled four million people together and we got a glimpse of greatness.” 

For more than five of the last eight minutes, the Boston Celtics were held scoreless. Jayson Tatum tried to stop the bleeding with a layup off the glass, but missed and fell to the floor. On the other end, the Detroit Pistons rushed five-on-four, as former teammate Javonte Green drained a wide-open 3-pointer.

Tatum, unable to get back in time to contest Green’s three, admits the Celtics have some adjustments to make going forward.

“I think our communication has to be better,” Tatum told reporters after Boston’s 121-113 season-opening loss, per CLNS Media.

Tatum and the Celtics built a cozy 22-point lead as Detroit struggled mightily to muster up any offensive rhythm. Boston rode Paul George’s 38-point outburst and set themselves up for an easy victory line trot. But then the Pistons, eager to avoid embarrassment in front of their home crowd on Opening Night, made the Celtics pay for their plethora of miscues throughout the second half.

The same Boston defense that held Detroit to 45 points on 38.6 percent shooting in the first half allowed a 76-point second half.

The Pistons went on an unreal 23-0 run in the fourth quarter, completing their largest come-from-behind victory over the Celtics in the last 30 seasons, according to ESPN Insights. Detroit flipped the script, shooting 52.4 percent in the third and fourth quarters and knocking down 11 threes, fueled by Green’s five made 3-pointers amid his 19-point second half.

Too often, the Celtics paid the price for their inefficient offense. Detroit, meanwhile, turned Boston’s misses into quick scoring opportunities by pushing the pace in transition.

Time and again, the Celtics failed to get back quickly enough to contest.

“It probably started on defense,” Tatum said. “A couple of times we gave up the offensive rebound, they were scoring, we were fouling. That kind of slows the game down. Obviously, in the first half and early in the third, we were at our best when we were getting stops, and we were able to push the pace.”

Tatum, in particular, struggled to find his offensive spark in the second half, going 1-for-10 from the floor — and 6-for-23 overall.

The Celtics still managed to give themselves one last fighting chance, as George’s seventh 3-pointer cut Detroit’s lead to six at 116-110 with 41 seconds left in regulation. But Boston couldn’t complete the comeback, suffering its first blown 20-point lead of the season.

“We did a lot of good things, and obviously there’s a lot of stuff that we gotta do better,” Derrick White told reporters, per CLNS Media. “So we just gotta continue to grow and learn and see what we did wrong, and we’ll be better at it.”

Boston suffered the consequences of a combination of woes. White hurled a Hail Mary fadeaway 3-pointer with 5:25 left, and George missed badly on a layup with 4:48 left, allowing Detroit to coast amid its game-changing run in the fourth.

The Celtics missed 10 consecutive shot attempts at one point.

“You get better shots, that definitely helps,” White said. “Crashing definitely helps. Transition defense. Those two things can kind of set your defense up to get matched up and be able to find their shooters. I think there was a couple of times we didn’t find their shooters and then they would miss and we didn’t get the rebound.”

Bad shot attempts plus an outnumbered defense in transition helped seal Boston’s fate faster than anyone could’ve anticipated.

“It’s kind of all those things that we gotta do better,” White added.

To kick off the season, the tale of two halves caught up to the Celtics. They weren’t the same team coming out of the tunnel after halftime as they were when they entered it with a 58-45 lead. Boston carried its preseason momentum into the regular season for the first two quarters of the opener before letting it slip away, putting itself in a position where it desperately needed to claw back for a chance at redemption in its final few possessions.

The loss gives the team plenty to review before returning home to host the New York Knicks on Friday night at TD Garden.

“We’ll go back and watch, and separate out of the 76 points which came from our offense and which came from our defense,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Some of those things were a byproduct of our lack of offense in that third quarter. So we’ll separate the points of the 76: which ones came from our offense — we have to fix our offense to prevent some of those — and which ones came from our half-court defense.”

Perhaps it’s early-season rust or a new cast still figuring itself out. Regardless, letting a 20-point lead slip away against a Pistons offense that looked just as out of sorts as Boston did remains inexcusable.