Five and one, baby. The Sixers beat the Knicks 98–93 Friday night, and sending New York home miserable remains one of basketball’s newest and finest traditions. This one opened their NBA Cup schedule, and it came without Jaylen Brown. Beating the defending Cup champs twice already doesn’t earn you a parade, but it sure beats standing around discussing how dangerous we might be someday. The Sixers are banking wins while still figuring things out. I’ll take that, especially when the receipt has the Knicks’ name on it.
Tyrese Maxey supplied 27 points, Anfernee Simons delivered 21 off the bench, and LeBron James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. That’s a pretty useful evening from the old guy. When Jalen Brunson put New York ahead with 1:32 left, LeBron answered with the go-ahead fadeaway, VJ Edgecombe buried a massive three to cap off a stellar 13-point, 8-rebound night, and James added the late putback. Apparently, closing a tight game doesn’t require everybody to panic and fling the basketball around like somebody spotted a mouse. Simons deserves his flowers, too, his third-quarter shooting helped keep the Knicks chasing.
Of course, the Sixers still worked in a little complimentary aggravation. Joel Embiid scored 10 on 3-for-12 shooting, although his seven rebounds and seven assists gave them something beyond the scoring. New York won the offensive boards 14–5, and a fourth-quarter lead turned into another opportunity for the fan base to check whether its blood-pressure medication was working. You can enjoy the win and admit there’s cleanup to do. Finish possessions, get a body on somebody and stop giving opponents extra chances. We’ve already got enough Halloween horror options without adding “avoidable Sixers collapse” to the menu.
I’ll admit it, I wasn’t really into the NBA Cup before. But I’m kinda buying into 97.5 The Fanatic’s Sean Brace and his #RespectTheCup movement. A nice little mini tourney during the season gets the competitive juices flowing and gives these games a little extra bite. And with this Sixers team, I think they’ve got a great chance to win the damn thing. Give me meaningful possessions, a trophy to chase and another excuse to get loud. All right, Brace. I’m listening. #RespectTheCup.
Now take that energy to Charlotte. The Sixers visit the Hornets tonight, Saturday, October 31, at 6 p.m. ET, with both teams on the second night of a back-to-back. The latest injury reports have LeBron and Embiid out, with Brown questionable, so nobody should be treating this like a casual stop for Halloween candy. Maxey sets the tone, Simons needs to keep providing offense, and Edgecombe has another chance to make his presence felt. My keys: protect the ball, rebound as a group and bring some early urgency. Beating the Knicks feels fantastic and following it with a flat effort would feel like getting a toothbrush or a belt buckle (I got one once) while trick-or-treating. Go handle business. Throw the damn ball up, baby!
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