The New York Knicks opened their title defense with a loud thud on Tuesday.

With LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers in town, the Knicks failed to open their 2026-27 season the same way they punctuated their 2026 NBA Playoffs run, as they suffered a 106-100 loss to the visiting team.

Brown didn't like what he saw in the Knicks against the Sixers.

“All throughout the game, we looked like we were running in mud,” Brown told reporters in the postgame press conference, via SNY Knicks on X, formerly Twitter.

The Knicks outscored Philadelphia by two points in the first period and again by two points in the second frame. If not for Andre Drummond's unexpected production in the first half of his Knicks debut, New York likely would have trailed Philly at the half.

The 76ers dictated the pace in the third quarter, scoring 29 points to New York's 18. It was close in the final frame, but the 76ers came out on top.

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Although New York won the rebounding battle (53-45) and outshot the 76ers (94-89), the Knicks made just 37 percent of their field-goal attempts and turned 15 turnovers into 22 points for Philadelphia. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, in particular, didn't shoot well, combining for 31 points on 9-for-32 shooting.

Brunson and the Knicks can also just be affected by some rust after a long vacation. They will try to look sharper on Friday when they share the floor with another Atlantic Division rivals, with the Paul Geoerge and the Boston Celtics hosting New York at TD Garden.