Kyle Lowry’s Philadelphia 76ers turned sour after a 110-96 loss to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson had 21 points and 12 assists with Spike Lee cheering from the courtside.
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. He had little offense help since MVP Joel Embiid was absent.
Lowry won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 while playing for Nick Nurse, who is in his first season coaching the 76ers.
He scored his first bucket 40 seconds into his debut, but his time was short-lived. He took an elbow to the face on a driving layup from Knicks forward Jericho Sims. He went straight to the locker room.
The Knicks are fourth at 34-22; the 76ers are 32-23 — including 6-15 without Embiid.
Famous director Lee was a very enthusiastic spectator, as he cheered for the Knicks through the match.
He wore Brunson gear and an orange hat as he pointed skyward or clapped after each big New York bucket.
The Knicks, still playing without OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson gave their fans plenty of reasons to make a noise.
