Philadelphia 76ers 98, New York Knicks 93 | October 30, 2026
The Philadelphia 76ers survived a furious New York Knicks comeback Friday night, escaping with a 98–93 victory to improve to 5–1 on the season.
For much of the evening, Philadelphia appeared to have the game under control. Tyrese Maxey was scoring efficiently, Joel Embiid was creating opportunities for his teammates, and Anfernee Simons was providing valuable offense off the bench.
But the Sixers’ ball security deteriorated, New York dominated the offensive glass, and a 14-point Philadelphia lead eventually disappeared.
With the Knicks taking a late one-point advantage, LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe delivered three enormous baskets to secure the victory.
First Quarter: Embiid’s Playmaking Sets the Tone
End of Q1: Philadelphia 29, New York 21
The opening minutes featured an entertaining exchange between both teams.
Embiid opened his scoring at the free-throw line, while OG Anunoby connected from beyond the arc for New York. Maxey answered with a three-pointer of his own, putting Philadelphia ahead 5–3.
LeBron and Maxey were both involved early, with James knocking down a three to give the Sixers a 12–9 advantage.
Jalen Brunson responded with an impressive contested midrange jumper over Maxey, who had played excellent defense on the possession. Sometimes the offensive player simply makes a difficult shot.
But Philadelphia’s best early work came through Embiid’s passing.
The big man found Edgecombe cutting toward the basket for an easy finish. He later delivered another excellent assist to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while falling out of bounds, demonstrating his awareness and willingness to create for others.
One of the quarter’s defining sequences came when Embiid collected a steal, pushed the ball forward, and found Edgecombe for a wide-open dunk.
The basket completed an 8–0 Philadelphia run and extended the Sixers’ lead to 20–11.
Edgecombe was outstanding during his opening stint, scoring six points on 3-for-3 shooting.
Simons also made an early contribution from beyond the arc, helping Philadelphia extend its advantage to 29–19 late in the period.
Perhaps most impressive was the Sixers’ discipline. Philadelphia went almost the entire opening quarter without committing a foul and protected the basketball exceptionally well.
The Sixers finished the period shooting 52% from the field, compared with 41% for New York.
Maxey and Anunoby led their respective teams with seven points apiece.
Philadelphia’s defense and efficient offense had established an eight-point advantage.
Second Quarter: Maxey Attacks, LeBron Takes Over Inside
Halftime: Philadelphia 53, New York 44
Maxey wasted little time making his presence felt in the second quarter.
He opened the period with an emphatic dunk, pushing Philadelphia’s lead to 31–21.
The Knicks were struggling to contain Philadelphia’s penetration, while their own offensive possessions occasionally featured rushed shots and poor decisions.
New York did produce a beautiful sequence of quick ball movement that forced a foul, but sustained offensive rhythm remained difficult to establish.
Maxey continued attacking, converting a relatively uncontested layup to put the Sixers ahead 37–28 and bring his total to 13 points.
LeBron then became increasingly influential.
Working off an Embiid screen, James knocked down a deep three-pointer to extend Philadelphia’s advantage to 42–28. At that stage, he had connected on two of his first three attempts from beyond the arc.
He followed that with an aggressive drive to the basket, blowing past the defense for a layup that made it 44–31.
Philadelphia was finding success in the paint, where it held a 22–12 scoring advantage at that point.
James continued using his strength to attack mismatches, powering through Mikal Bridges for an and-one opportunity that pushed Philadelphia ahead 48–38.
LeBron had reached 12 points, providing the Sixers with another reliable scoring option alongside Maxey.
But Maxey still had another highlight before halftime.
The guard pulled up from near the logo and buried a deep three-pointer, bringing his first-half total to 18 points and giving Philadelphia a 53–44 lead.
The Sixers entered the break shooting an impressive 55% from the field, while the Knicks were connecting on just 42% of their attempts.
Philadelphia had largely controlled the first 24 minutes, but there was one concern: the Sixers needed to maintain their execution rather than allow another second-half collapse like the one they had experienced against Indiana earlier in the week.
That concern would become increasingly relevant.
Third Quarter: Simons Shines as Turnovers Keep New York Alive
End of Q3: Philadelphia 77, New York 68
Maxey opened the second half with another deep three-pointer, reaching 21 points.
Shortly afterward, he connected on a midrange jumper to bring his total to 23 and extend Philadelphia’s advantage to 58–44, forcing New York to call timeout.
The Sixers had restored their 14-point lead, but the Knicks were far from finished.
Mikal Bridges connected on a three-pointer following a baseline drive and kick-out, helping New York begin cutting into the deficit.
The Knicks eventually put together a 10–2 run, reducing Philadelphia’s advantage to 59–54.
The Sixers needed someone to steady the offense.
LeBron responded with an outstanding pass to Caldwell-Pope for a three-pointer, putting Philadelphia ahead 62–54.
James also produced a defensive highlight with a block, although the play appeared to involve goaltending that the officials did not call.
As the quarter progressed, Simons became Philadelphia’s most important offensive contributor.
Working alongside Embiid in a pick-and-pop action, Simons knocked down a three-pointer to make it 70–60, forcing another New York timeout.
The Knicks then turned the ball over immediately after the stoppage, and Simons capitalized with a jumper that pushed Philadelphia’s lead to 72–60.
He had reached 11 points and was providing the offensive spark Philadelphia needed.
But the Knicks continued fighting.
New York scored four consecutive points to close the gap to 72–66, once again putting pressure on the Sixers.
Simons eventually delivered another three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the quarter, reaching 16 points and helping Philadelphia finish the period with a 77–68 advantage.
Despite maintaining a nine-point lead, the Sixers had developed a serious problem.
Philadelphia committed seven turnovers in the third quarter alone.
That was a dramatic departure from the disciplined basketball the team had played early in the game.
New York was also creating additional possessions through offensive rebounding, holding a 15–5 advantage in second-chance points by the end of the quarter.
Philadelphia had the shooting efficiency to build a much larger lead, but turnovers and second-chance opportunities were preventing the Sixers from putting the game away.
The Knicks had been handed a lifeline.
Fourth Quarter: Knicks Storm Back Before LeBron and Edgecombe Deliver
Final: Philadelphia 98, New York 93
Edgecombe opened the final quarter with an excellent individual effort.
After securing a defensive rebound, he immediately pushed the ball up the floor and went coast to coast for a layup, extending Philadelphia’s lead to 79–68.
But New York began steadily closing the gap.
Karl-Anthony Towns knocked down a three-pointer to reduce Philadelphia’s advantage to 80–74.
Simons answered with another three of his own, bringing his total to 19 points while shooting 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.
He later added a bank shot to reach 21 points, continuing his excellent performance off the bench.
Yet Philadelphia could not consistently maintain its offensive rhythm.
Adem Bona struggled with turnovers and fouls during his minutes, while the Knicks continued attacking the offensive glass.
Jordan Clarkson converted a putback to bring New York within three at 85–82, although Embiid responded with a jumper to restore Philadelphia’s five-point advantage.
Then the Sixers’ offense stalled.
Philadelphia scored only two points over a three-minute stretch, and Towns capitalized by drilling another three-pointer.
Suddenly, the Knicks were within two at 87–85.
Clarkson also produced an outstanding defensive play, coming from behind to block LeBron before James could finish an alley-oop attempt.
With the game entering its final minutes, the momentum had shifted firmly toward New York.
Brunson then delivered the shot the Knicks had been chasing all night.
The New York guard connected on a three-pointer to give his team a 90–89 lead.
After trailing for most of the contest, the Knicks had completed their comeback.
Philadelphia needed an immediate response.
LeBron provided it.
James knocked down a difficult fadeaway jumper, putting the Sixers back in front 91–90.
Then Edgecombe delivered the biggest shot of his young evening.
With just 32 seconds remaining, the guard stepped into a deep three-pointer and buried it, extending Philadelphia’s advantage to 94–90.
The Knicks still had an opportunity to respond.
Brunson drew a controversial foul after his ankle appeared to buckle on the play. Philadelphia challenged the decision, but the officials upheld the call.
Brunson made one of his two free throws, cutting the deficit to 94–91.
On the other end, LeBron delivered another crucial play, collecting an offensive rebound and converting the putback to extend Philadelphia’s advantage to 96–91.
New York managed to cut the deficit again during the closing free-throw exchanges, but the Sixers maintained their advantage.
Philadelphia ultimately secured the 98–93 victory.
After watching its lead disappear, the Sixers had found just enough late-game execution to escape.
Standout Performers
Philadelphia 76ers
- Tyrese Maxey: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 10-for-19 shooting
- Anfernee Simons: 21 points off the bench, 7-for-11 shooting
- LeBron James: 20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists
- VJ Edgecombe: 13 points, 8 rebounds, including the crucial late three-pointer
- Joel Embiid: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
New York Knicks
- Jalen Brunson: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists
- Mikal Bridges: 12 points
- Miles McBride: 10 points off the bench
EST Takeaways: A Win That Nearly Got Away
Philadelphia was the more efficient shooting team, finishing at 49% from the field compared with New York’s 41%.
But the Knicks created opportunities through their work on the glass.
New York outrebounded Philadelphia 51–46, collected 14 offensive rebounds to the Sixers’ five, and dominated second-chance scoring 20–7.
Those numbers help explain how a game that Philadelphia appeared to control became a genuine contest in the closing minutes.
The Sixers also committed 14 turnovers, with seven coming in the third quarter alone.
Nick Nurse will undoubtedly appreciate the victory, particularly with Philadelphia facing Charlotte on Saturday, but the Sixers cannot continue allowing opponents to remain competitive through preventable mistakes.
For New York, Brunson and Towns deserve credit for leading the comeback. However, the Knicks struggled to find efficient offense for much of the game and ultimately could not capitalize on their brief late lead.
Maxey’s 27-point performance further strengthens his impressive opening to the season, while Simons demonstrated how valuable his bench scoring can be.
And when Philadelphia needed someone to deliver in the closing moments, LeBron and Edgecombe answered.
The Sixers were not perfect. They were not particularly convincing down the stretch. But they made the plays that mattered most.
Philadelphia improves to 5–1, while New York falls to 2–4.
Final Score: 76ers 98, Knicks 93.
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