LeBron's Late Heroics Lift 76ers Past Knicks 98-93 in NBA Cup Opener

James takes over when Philadelphia needs him most

LeBron James did not need to dominate the whole night to decide it. He needed to be there at the end, and in the final two minutes against the New York Knicks, he was. James scored 20 points with nine rebounds and eight assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Knicks 98-93 on Friday, 30 October, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, winning their opener in Emirates NBA Cup group play.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 27 points, and the victory moved the 76ers to 5-1. It was their second win over New York already this season, after they spoiled the Knicks' championship banner-raising with a win at Madison Square Garden on opening night. The Knicks, the defending NBA champions and the defending NBA Cup champions, fell to 2-4.

Jalen Brunson, who led New York with 24 points, hit a step-back three-pointer with 1:32 remaining to put the Knicks ahead 90-89. James answered with a tough fadeaway to restore Philadelphia's lead. After a Brunson miss, VJ Edgecombe beat the shot-clock buzzer with a three-pointer to make it 94-90. Brunson split two free throws to keep New York within one possession, but James put back a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left to seal a 98-93 win.

A fast start, then a test of nerve

Philadelphia took control early. The 76ers shot 55 percent from the field in the first quarter and again in the second quarter on their way to a 53-44 lead at half-time. Maxey scored five quick points to open the third quarter, helping Philadelphia build a 14-point cushion, and for a time the game looked as though it might drift away from the visitors.

New York refused to let it. Brunson scored seven points in a 43-second span during a 10-1 run that cut the deficit to 59-54. Philadelphia steadied itself again through its bench. Anfernee Simons, starting in an expanded role with Jaylen Brown out with a knee injury, scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting. In the final five and a half minutes of the third quarter, Simons hit three three-pointers, added two free throws and a tough fadeaway, helping the 76ers carry a 77-68 lead into the fourth.

That cushion mattered, because the fourth quarter became a contest of composure. Philadelphia led by as many as 11 points early in the period before Karl-Anthony Towns dragged New York back into it. Towns scored on a three-point play, a three-pointer and a driving layup in the space of two minutes, bringing the Knicks within 83-76. His three-pointer with 4:46 remaining cut the gap to 87-85, and Brunson's late three then gave New York its brief 90-89 lead. Towns finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting, and for long stretches he was New York's most reliable answer when Philadelphia's defence tightened.

The supporting cast made the stars' finish possible

James, 41, also added a steal and a chase-down block, and coach Nick Nurse described it as his best game since joining Philadelphia as a free agent. James did not merely post a balanced line; he produced the two plays that mattered most, the go-ahead fadeaway with 1:10 left and the putback with 11.9 seconds left.

Maxey's 27 points came on 10-of-19 shooting. Maxey, James and Simons combined for 68 of Philadelphia's 98 points, showing how much Philadelphia leaned on its main creators when Brown was unavailable. Edgecombe, meanwhile, finished with 13 points, but his value in this game cannot be measured by that total alone. His shot-clock-beating three-pointer turned a one-point lead into a four-point lead at the moment New York had just seized momentum, and it forced the Knicks to chase the game rather than control it.

For New York, the frustration was familiar. Brunson finished 8-of-22 from the field with six assists, and his late three briefly suggested another famous comeback. Instead, the Knicks lost their second game to Philadelphia in six games, and their early-season record of 2-4 sits awkwardly alongside their status as champions. They trailed by as many as 14 points, recovered, led with 92 seconds left, and still left Philadelphia empty-handed. That sequence captures why this defeat will sting.

What the result means for the Cup race

Friday's games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA's in-season tournament. The Knicks won the tournament before going on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973, so their Cup defence began with a direct test against the team that had already beaten them on opening night. Group-stage Cup games are played throughout November and count in the regular-season standings, with quarter-finals scheduled for 4-5 December, semi-finals for 8-9 December and the final on 11 December at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

For Philadelphia, the early statement is clear. A 5-1 start, built on two wins over the champions, shows a remade roster that can win a fast-starting game, a bench-led third quarter and a star-led finish. The 76ers held New York to 93 points, their lowest opponent total of the season so far, and they did it without Brown.

What comes next

The 76ers visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, 31 October, at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. New York hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, 2 November, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with a chance to steady a 2-4 start. If the next meeting resembles this one, the champions will know they cannot afford another slow start.