Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points and helped seal the victory with a steal that he turned into a dunk for a 104-98 lead with less than two minutes left. Philadelphia held New York to 37% shooting and limited Jalen Brunson, last season’s Finals MVP and a former Villanova star, to 6-for-19 from the field.

The win offered an early look at Philadelphia’s revamped lineup, which now includes LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. James had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists; Brown finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Both had shooting struggles early, but the pair connected on several baskets, including a James assist on Brown’s first Sixers field goal and a third-quarter alley-oop from Brown to James.

Brown’s two dunks in the third quarter and a buzzer-beating, off-balance three-pointer helped Philadelphia take momentum into the final period. The Sixers then held off New York despite making only 11 of 40 attempts from three-point range.

Maxey contributed at both ends, scoring on transition chances and making defensive plays against Brunson. “Tyrese was Tyrese,” James said after the game.

Joel Embiid shot 4-for-15 but added 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. He also helped protect the rim late, twice blocking former Sixer Andre Drummond. Drummond, now with New York, had 10 points and 12 rebounds in the first half while Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns was in foul trouble.

Philadelphia’s reserves added timely scoring: Anfernee Simons had 13 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 10, with both hitting important second-half threes. The Sixers’ next game is their home opener Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.