76ers Beat Knicks 98-93 as LeBron James Makes Late Plays in NBA Cup Game

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 98-93 on Friday night in an NBA Cup group game in Philadelphia. LeBron James scored 20 points, including a go-ahead basket with 1:10 left, and Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 27. Jalen Brunson's 3-pointer had given New York a 90-89 lead with 1:32 remaining, and he finished with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 for the Knicks. James also had nine rebounds and eight assists. The Sixers, now 5-1, have won both meetings with the Knicks this season, while New York fell to 2-4. Jaylen Brown missed a game with left knee soreness, and the Sixers did not say whether he would miss more.

Left-leaning CBS News leads with the final score and James's go-ahead bucket, describing a packed Philadelphia arena with a playoff feel and noting that James flashed his old MVP form. It highlights the 5-1 start and Brown's absence, and it mentions Brunson rolling an ankle late but does not report the Knicks' record or their fatigue. Alternative sources Al Jazeera and ESPN report the same score and late plays, but Al Jazeera adds the NBA Cup format and knockout dates and reports coach Nick Nurse calling it James's best game as a Sixer, while ESPN headlines James rescuing Philadelphia late. Right-leaning New York Post leads with Knicks problems: a 2-4 start, fatigue after a short summer, and Josh Hart's comments. It stresses Brunson shooting 1-for-5 in the final minutes and missing a free throw before James's alley-oop. Both sides agree on the score and the late sequence; they differ in emphasis, with CBS and the alternative outlets centering James and the Post centering Knicks shortcomings.