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The Philadelphia 76ersspoiled the New York Knicks’ ring night on Tuesday, and Nick Nurse pointed to one defensive switch involving LeBron James as a big reason why.
After the 76ers’ 106-100 win at Madison Square Garden, Nurse was asked about his decision to put James on Karl-Anthony Towns in the second half. The 76ers head coach explained that the move was designed to give Philadelphia more options against New York’s bread-and-butter action.
“It’s kind of common to put a forward on KAT, ’cause there’s so many pick-and-rolls with him and Brunson,” Nurse said. “It gives you some versatility to play some other coverages, right?”
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Nick Nurse asked about his decision to put LeBron on KAT which gave versatility to #Sixers guarding the pick roll vs Brunson and tipped the scale in their favor vs #Knicks in the 2nd half pic.twitter.com/0KR9t53eMR
— Darko Dželetović (@DarkoBasketball) October 21, 2026
Nurse admitted the adjustment did not work perfectly right away, crediting Josh Hart for making Philadelphia pay early on.
“I think it was good. I mean, Hart obviously stepped in and nailed a couple right in a row to make you pay for the adjustment you make,” Nurse said. “But over the long haul, it was very good. Very good, I think.”
The numbers back him up. The Knicks led 58-54 at halftime, but the 76ers outscored them 52-42 after the break, including a 29-18 edge in the third quarter.
James was right in the middle of that turnaround. Early in the third, Towns turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, and James converted both into layups, one of them on an alley-oop from Jaylen Brown. James then inbounded the ball to Brown for a buzzer-beating three to close the period with Philadelphia up 83-76.
Jalen Brunson, the engine of the Knicks’ two-man game with Towns, scored 21 points but shot just 6-of-19 from the field. Towns finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds after battling early foul trouble.
James finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his 76ers debut, while Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points. Brown added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The win also gave James something he had never had before. His teams had lost all four of his previous debuts with a new franchise.
With James taking on more of a defensive load against bigger matchups, Nurse now has another tool to use as the season goes on. The 76ers return home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
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