NBA opening night 2026 recap: LeBron’s 76ers spoil the Knicks’ banner night, Pistons rally, Thunder beat Spurs

The 2026-27 NBA season opened on Tuesday 20 October with three games, and two of the three home teams lost. The champion New York Knicks raised their banner and then fell 106-100 to Philadelphia in LeBron James’s first game as a 76er. Detroit recovered from a 22-point deficit to beat Boston 121-113, and Oklahoma City won 116-104 in San Antonio.

76ers 106, Knicks 100: a spoiled celebration at the Garden

Before tip-off, the Knicks received their rings and raised the championship banner from last season’s Finals win over San Antonio, the club’s first title in 53 years. Jalen Brunson told the crowd: “The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.”

The game itself belonged to Philadelphia’s guards and wings. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points. Jaylen Brown, in his first game since his summer trade from Boston, had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.

New York led by as many as 10 in the first half and were ahead 58-54 at the break. The turning point came late in the third quarter, when Philadelphia closed on an 11-0 run, finished by Brown’s three-pointer at the buzzer for an 83-76 lead. Maxey’s three-point play early in the fourth made it 87-78. Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, hit a three to cut the gap to 96-95, but Embiid answered and the Sixers held on.

Brunson scored 21 points but needed 19 shots to get there, making 6. As a team the Knicks shot 37% from the field and 33% from three, and that was the difference on a night when their defence did enough to win.

How did LeBron James play in his 76ers debut?

LeBron James, starting a record 24th NBA season, finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 34 minutes. He made 5 of 13 shots and missed all three of his three-point attempts. The numbers were modest, but the fit looked natural: his first basket came on a post-up, his first assist found Brown for an easy finish, and his first dunk in a Sixers shirt was an alley-oop from Brown.

The bigger point is the role. With Maxey, Brown and Embiid all capable of carrying the scoring, James does not have to be Philadelphia’s first option every night, and at 41 that is exactly the job the 76ers signed him to do. One milestone to follow over the season: according to the NBA, James began the night 27 regular-season wins short of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in league history. Tuesday’s result makes it 26.

Pistons 121, Celtics 113: a 22-point comeback in Detroit

The afternoon opener produced the comeback of the night. Boston led 72-50 in the third quarter before Detroit took over. Cade Cunningham, starting his sixth season, finished with 22 points and 8 assists, and Javonte Green scored 19 points after not playing at all in the first half.

The loss spoiled a record debut for Paul George, who scored 38 points, the most by any Celtic in his first game for the club. George, 36, joined Boston in the summer trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, which means the two players at the centre of that deal scored 57 points between them on opening night.

Thunder 116, Spurs 104: Wembanyama held to 1-of-13

The rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, which San Antonio won on their way to the Finals, went to Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, and Jared McCain added 20, making 6 of his 8 three-point attempts.

The Thunder won the second quarter 31-16 to lead 65-44 at half-time, and although San Antonio opened the second half on a 23-9 run, Oklahoma City led for all but the first five minutes of the game. Victor Wembanyama had the most difficult night of the three stars on show: 12 points on 1-of-13 shooting from the field.

What opening night tells us, and what it doesn’t

One game is a small sample, and none of these results should be read as a verdict on the season. Still, three things stood out. Philadelphia’s new top four can share the load, which matters for a team built around two players in their thirties. Detroit carried last season’s resilience into a new year. And Oklahoma City, written off by some after losing to San Antonio in last season’s playoffs, showed that they still have the best player on the floor in Gilgeous-Alexander.

For the champion Knicks, the defeat is a reminder that title defences are long. They shot poorly, still had a chance in the final minutes, and will have 81 more games to show that last season was the start of something rather than the peak.

Opening night results at a glance

Pistons 121-113 Celtics (Cunningham 22 pts, 8 ast; George 38 pts). 76ers 106-100 Knicks (Maxey 28 pts; Brunson 21 pts; Brown 19 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast; James 14 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast). Thunder 116-104 Spurs (Gilgeous-Alexander 32 pts; McCain 20 pts; Wembanyama 12 pts). Follow the live NBA table and every result in the SportPulses basketball section.