Rust was expected on night one for the new-look Philadelphia 76ers, who finally got a chance to play together. Despite facing a team that just won the championship and didn't experience too many changes, the Sixers found a way to pull off the win and spoil banner night at Madison Square Garden.
One would think that the star-studded lineup with Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and LeBron James, would shoot the lights out and dominate the Knicks on the offensive floor, but that wasn't where the Sixers held it down. Defense was the key to success for Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and Joel Embiid held it down on the interior, silencing his doubters from the offseason.
Healthy Joel Embiid is living up to the hype defensively
Injuries have hampered Joel Embiid throughout his career, and the long-term effects of his lower-body setbacks have started to eat into his ability to be an elite defender at times.
While Embiid had glimpses of being a potential DPOY-caliber player throughout the 2025-2026 NBA season, the reality was that he just simply didn't have the same threat level on defense more often than not. It's too early to declare whether Embiid is back to being elite on defense, but he's off to an encouraging start.
In 33 minutes of action, Embiid led the 76ers with 11 rebounds. The veteran center also snatched up two steals and blocked three shots. He wasn't nearly as effective on the offensive side of the ball as he typically would be on an opening night.
The star big man struggled with efficiency, shooting just 4-15 from the field. He was second in shot attempts for the Sixers. And getting to the line for just four shots, he couldn't eat from the charity stripe. Embiid scored 13 points. Only the second-year guard VJ Edgecombe had fewer points from the starting five.
Despite the offensive shortcomings on the night, Embiid didn't affect his plus-minus with an unusually weak offensive showing. Embiid finished the game as a plus-18. He was credited by his head coach, Nick Nurse, after the matchup for simply being able to make the right play throughout the night. He didn't need to play hero ball; he just needed to make the right play, and that contributed to a win in a big way beyond the stat sheet.
Obviously, Embiid will need to improve his offensive game if the Sixers want to reach greater heights. The entire team knows that they need to shoot better. LeBron James stated that the offense will come over time and that they are hardly worried about it. Clearly, defense can win them games. The Sixers held the Knicks to just 37% from the field and 33% from three, while winning the turnover battle 10-14.
The Sixers opened up their season with a 106-100 victory.
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