Without the rebel Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers made their debut in the new NBA season with a clear 117-97 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Amid the conflict over the situation of Australian Ben Simmons, Cameroonian center Joel Embiid (22 points) and power forward Tobias Harris (20 points and 12 rebounds) led the Sixers’ victory.
The young Tyrese Maxey scored 20 points as a substitute in the quintet of Simmons, who, in the heat of battle to be transferred, was expelled from training and sanctioned for this game for indiscipline.
The Pelicans also face a difficult start to the season without their young figure, the injured Zion Williamson. The offensive inspiration of Brandon Ingram (25 points) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23) was not enough to beat Philadelphia.
Knicks win in double overtime
In New York, the Knicks took a thrilling 138-134 win over the Boston Celtics after two overtimes.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart forced the first overtime with a spectacular triple over the horn that froze the stands of Madison Square Garden, full of celebrities like Dustin Hoffman and Spike Lee.
Guard Jaylen Brown, fresh out of a coronavirus quarantine, exploded with 46 points for the Celtics while their other star, Jayson Tatum, had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a dismal 7/30 shooting from the field.
The Knicks managed to retain the victory thanks to the good performances of power forward Julius Randle (35 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists) and the recently signed Evan Fournier (32 points and 6 triples).
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