The Knicks battled it out to a tough loss in Game 1 of 82 on Tuesday, getting humbled by the new-look Sixers, losing by six points after once leading by double digits in the first half. The team looked rusty and disjointed for most of the game, whether that be because of it being the first meaningful game in four months or because Karl-Anthony Towns found himself in foul trouble.
The team overall on the night didn’t make shots, shooting 37.2% from the field and 33.3% from three-point land, and they turned it over 15 times, compared to Philly’s 12 turnovers. For most of the night, the Knicks looked stagnant on offense, trying to make up for it with hustle plays on the defensive side, leading to a high foul count.
The Knicks starting lineup only played 12 minutes and five seconds together in the defeat, getting early hooks in the first quarter after less than three-and-a-half minutes and just five-and-a-half minutes into the second half—both times due to KAT foul trouble. In that time they spent on the floor together in the season opener, the starters were putrid, scoring just 15 points on 26 offensive possessions (57.7 offensive rating), getting outscored by 10.
The starting five’s offense hit a new low
That would’ve cleared any low mark in last season’s championship season, as their worst single-game offensive performance was on Christmas Day against the Cavs when they had posted a 68.8 ORTG across 16 offensive possessions. However, the rest of the lineups that Mike Brown deployed in that game had a 135.3 ORTG. On Opening Night, the non-starters lineups for Mike Brown had a 113.3 ORTG, winning their minutes by four.
Knicks' Starters' Worst Single-Game ORTG, Since Start of 2025-26
Date & Opponent | ORTG |
|---|---|
10/20/26 vs. Sixers | 57.7 |
12/25/25 vs. Cavs | 68.8 |
'26 ECFR G3 vs. Hawks | 72.2 |
1/19/26 vs. Mavs | 75.0 |
3/4/26 vs. Thunder | 75.0 |
This was an issue for parts of last season. In the regular season, including the NBA Cup Final, the starting lineup had a 117.8 ORTG, which is fine, but just a +0.4 net rating. In their 11 games following the All-Star break, they struggled to a 106 ORTG and -7.7 NETRTG, playing against playoff teams such as the Pistons, Rockets, Cavs, Spurs, Raptors, Thunder, Nuggets and Lakers, but they were helped in that stretch because of how Brown’s other lineups fared (119.1 ORTG, +12.1 NETRTG).
It definitely didn’t help things on Tuesday that Jalen Brunson shot 31.8% (6-of-19) from the field, that Mikal Bridges had just four points on eight shots, or that OG Anunoby shot 25.0% (3-of-12) from the field, including 1-of-9 from three, while sporting a game-worst -20.
Anunoby’s minutes tell a stark offensive story
And speaking of Anunoby, last year’s Finals hero, the Knicks just cratered offensively with him on the floor in general, posting a 78.8 ORTG and shooting 29.3% from the field in his 31:22 on the floor. Without him? The Knicks had a 137.1 ORTG in 16:38 with him on the bench, outscoring the Sixers by 14.
The starting lineup was 5-of-24 (20.8%) from the field when they shared the floor together with Brunson taking 37.5% of those shots—and only knocking down 2-of-9 shots. KAT ended up carrying the offensive load in the fourth quarter, but that was outside of the starting lineup, except for a three-pointer that he made in the final 3:27 of the game.
Can Brown afford to fall into holes consistently every night for another season with the starters? They had proved in the playoffs that they could dominate games, posting a 121.1 ORTG and +10.5 NETRTG during their title run in the postseason. Brown likely isn’t going to let the first game of the season dictate how he operates with the starting lineup, and you also hope that KAT doesn’t fall into foul trouble every night or that Brunson, Anunoby, and Bridges don’t throw up donuts at the rim every night.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t Josh Hart’s fault, despite the fact that he had become a talking point in regard to his place in the starting lineup. On the night, he had 14 points with a 63.6% TS%; the Knicks won his minutes by one point (67-66).
Still, there are so many moving parts with this team and this starting lineup that, when things are off, it can get ugly. When things are right? Well, it was still Ring Night on Tuesday.
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