3 Observations: 76ers Fall to Knicks in Preseason Opener Despite Strong Showing From Edgecombe

V.J. Edgecombe impressed in his preseason debut, but it ultimately came in a loss. The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the New York Knicks in preseason action 99-84 on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

Edgecombe finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Tyrese Maxey totaled 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (knee), Paul George (knee), Jared McCain (thumb), Quentin Grimes (personal) and Trendon Watford (hamstring).

Miles McBride led the Knicks with an efficient 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 11 points and five rebounds. Mitchell Robinson added seven points and 16 rebounds. OG Anunoby (wrist) was the lone player unavailable for the Knicks.

The Sixers play one more preseason game against the Knicks in Abu Dhabi before traveling back to continue their training camp in Philadelphia. Here are three observations from the loss:

Edgecombe Impresses in Preseason Debut

All eyes were going to be watching Edgecombe’s performance in his preseason debut. He got the start at shooting guard and did not disappoint. His ability to impact the game in multiple ways quickly became evident. The No. 3 overall pick plays with relentless energy and has a constant nose for the ball. The result are plays like the one below where he ripped a rebound away from Robinson, pushed the ball in transition and ended the possession with a nice alley-oop pass to Adem Bona.

VJ ➡️ 🆎. pic.twitter.com/5NtgkrLxmH

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 2, 2025

Edgecombe’s passing ability was put on display in the preseason opener. In addition to setting up Bona for the alley-oop, Edgecombe made a good pass to set up Johni Broome for a layup after making a backdoor cut to get behind his defender.

that rookie connection 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cIXRrQ8qLN

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 2, 2025

The Sixers, in a potential sign of things to come, felt comfortable enough in Edgecombe’s playmaking to run some lineups with him at point guard.

Despite filling up the stat sheet, Edgecombe got off to a slow start as a scorer. His first points of the game came on a layup after he took his defender off the dribble with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter. After getting into the scoring column, Edgecombe gradually got into a rhythm. He got a trip to the free-throw line after being fouled while attempting an audacious slam dunk over Robinson. Later on in the second quarter, Edgecombe drained a 3-pointer over a strong contest from Landry Shamet.

It is just one preseason game, but Edgecombe’s athleticism and ability to impact the game in multiple ways shined. His performance in the preseason opener gave plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his future.

Bona, Barlow Take Advantage of Opportunity to Be in Starting Lineup

The Sixers’ rotation at power forward and backup center are not yet set in stone. As a result, training camp and the preseason present valuable opportunities for different players to establish their roles in the rotation.

With Embiid not active for the preseason opener, Bona got the start at center. After picking up two quick fouls, he was able to settle himself in. Bona finished a pair of alley-oops in the first quarter and was fouled while attempting a third one. On the other end of the floor, Bona continued to showcase his ability as a rim protector. He made a thunderous block on a Shamet layup attempt in the third quarter.

BIG 👏 BONA 👏 BLOCK 👏 pic.twitter.com/zcoG4XiSLM

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 2, 2025

This game produced all the highs and lows of the Bona experience. He finished multiple alley-oops, made some solid defensive plays but also battled foul trouble for the entirety of the contest. Despite foul trouble continuing to be an issue for Bona, he will still likely be the Sixers’ primary option for backup center minutes this season.

At the power forward position, Dominick Barlow impressed with his opportunity against the Knicks. He crashed the glass hard and did a good job contesting shots in the paint. The Sixers’ coaching staff raved about Barlow’s play early on in training camp. His performance in the preseason opener should only encourage the coaching staff to give him even more opportunity going forward.

The Sixers have multiple other players competing for reserve minutes at power forward and center. Jabari Walker quietly put together a solid outing against the Knicks. He totaled nine points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. Johni Broome made a few good plays defensively in addition to crashing the glass. However, his poor offensive performance could hurt his chances at winning a consistent rotation spot in the regular season. Andre Drummond played just eight minutes and is likely set for a small depth role behind Embiid and Bona.

Sixers Unable to Overcome Rust Offensively in Preseason Opener

Philadelphia fell short in their preseason opener to the Knicks largely because of their poor shooting. The Sixers shot the ball just 34.6% from the field and 8.6% from 3-point range. Justin Edwards, who shot 36.3% from deep last season, missed all seven of his attempts from long distance. Maxey had success scoring from around the basket, but he also failed to make any of his four 3-point attempts.

This game was mostly a case of good process and bad results. The Sixers got a lot of good looks against the Knicks defense, but the shots just did not fall. Fans can take solace at how the Sixers were able to find a ton of open looks, even if they did not lead to points. One poor shooting game, especially in the preseason, is not any cause for panic. However, the Sixers did finish 27th in the league in 3-point shooting last season (34.1%). The Sixers have a chance to bounce back against the Knicks on Saturday in a preseason rematch against the Knicks.