Knicks struggle shooting in first preseason game, fall to 76ers

The Knicks played their first game since winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the starters shook off some rust and the bench fought to earn minutes in a 120-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Here are some takeaways…

— Mike Brown went with the starting lineup that won the NBA Finals on Monday night: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Sixers and Nick Nurse took a different approach as LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid all sat out; leaving him with VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown as the only regular season starters in the lineup.

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— Former Knick Ariel Hukporti, who signed with Philadelphia over the summer, also started for his new team. Unfortunately, the big man took an awkward fall in the first quarter and grabbed for his ankle. Knicks and Sixers players gathered around him and helped him to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

— Andre Drummond, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek were the first four players off the bench for Brown’s group. Shamet picked up where he left off in the playoffs, making two threes right away.

Philadelphia led 33-32 after the first quarter as Brown led the way with a game-high 13 points. Anunoby played the most minutes out of the New York starters (10) and was second in points (six) behind Brunson (eight).

— Brown played more of the bench in the second quarter, with Mohamed Diawara and Jordan Clarkson entering for the first time. The back-and-forth game continued as Brown and Caleb Love scored eight straight to put the Sixers up 58-51 and force a New York timeout with 4:29 left in the half. Philly’s young guards continued to attack with Edgecombe converting the and-one layup over James Wiseman to go up double digits.

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The Knicks were outscored 39-26 in the second quarter as Love nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer, taking a 72-58 lead into the half. New York allowed Philadelphia to shoot 53 percent from the field and 46 percent from three (11-for-24). Brunson and Anunoby were tied for the team-high with 12 points each, while Brown had 22 points for his new team.

— The bench started…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-struggle-shooting-first-preseason-013509837.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-06 01:35:00

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