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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and 12 assists with Spike Lee cheering from the court, and the New York Knicks were spoiled. Kyle Lowry’s debut in Philadelphia with a 110-96 victory over the 76ers on Thursday night.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points, Josh Hart had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Precious Achiuwa added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks.
All-Star Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 35 points. Maxey made 11 of 24 shots but had little offensive help, a common theme for the Sixers in the absence of MVP Joel Embiid.
Lowry could provide some strength off the bench. He won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 while playing for Nick Nurse, who is in his first season coaching the 76ers.
Lowry, a six-time All-Star, received a standing ovation at the end of the first quarter when he checked in for the first time since signing last week. The public address announcer highlighted the moment and said, “Making his Sixers debut, from North Philly, No. 7 Kyle Lowry!”
Lowry, who played in college at Villanova, was up and down against the Knicks and scored his first basket about 40 seconds later. Lowry’s homecoming was short-lived: he was inadvertently elbowed in the face on a layup by Knicks forward Jericho Sims. Lowry buried his face in a towel and headed straight to the locker room. He received stitches and returned with an adhesive bandage on his forehead in the third quarter.
By then, the Knicks led 71-56 behind their former Villanova stars: Brunson, Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. The trio of national champions had a large crowd cheering them on, due to their local ties and with many Knicks fans in the house.
Among them was Lee.
The famous director wore Brunson clothes and an orange hat as he pointed toward the sky or clapped behind each big cube in New York. Lee was as animated as he would have been sitting in his familiar spot at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, still playing without OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, gave Lee plenty of reasons to cheer. New York built a 26-point lead and increased its cushion in the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks are fourth with a record of 34-22; the 76ers are 32-23, including 6-15 without Embiid.
When DiVincenzo hit an early 3-pointer off an assist from Brunson, Lee jumped out of his seat and pumped his fist. A laugh in the first half came when Brunson threw a behind-the-back pass to a running DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo, once known as Delaware’s Michael Jordan, missed the dunk.
DiVincenzo, who scored 16 points, scared off a sweeper when he turned a midcourt steal into a bucket.
Lowry finished with 11 points in 25 minutes.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Knicks: Host Boston on Saturday night.
76ers: Host Cleveland on Friday night.
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