Knicks open NBA Cup defense in a hole after opening loss to 76ers in East Group B

The New York Knicks begin their NBA Cup title defense with no room left to slip. New York dropped its group-stage opener 98-93 at Philadelphia on Oct. 30, and with only four group games per team, that loss puts the Knicks a step behind in what may be the hardest group in the tournament.

The Knicks enter as the first team to win the Cup and the NBA title in the same season, a double they completed in 2025-26, NBA.com noted when it announced the groups. The draw did not go easy on them. East Group B also includes Cleveland, Philadelphia, Miami and Indiana. ESPN counts all five among the favorites to win the conference. Indiana also gets Tyrese Haliburton back after he missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, and this year's final will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The format punishes an early loss. Each team plays the other four in its group once. Only the group winners and one wild card from each conference advance to the knockout rounds. The Knicks' remaining group dates, according to ESPN's schedule, are at Indiana on Nov. 13, home against Cleveland on Nov. 25 and home against Miami on Nov. 27. Quarterfinals follow Dec. 4-5, and for the first time the semifinals will also be played at home sites before the Dec. 11 championship.

The opener showed why Philadelphia will be hard to catch. ESPN's account credited Tyrese Maxey with a game-high 27 points. LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe hit late baskets after Jalen Brunson briefly put New York ahead in the fourth quarter. The Sixers held the Knicks to 41% shooting and 32% from 3 even with Jaylen Brown out with left patellar tendinopathy. Philadelphia has now beaten New York twice. The Sixers also took the season opener at Madison Square Garden, 106-100.

What it means for Saturday in Cleveland

Saturday's trip to Cleveland (NBA TV) is a regular-season game, not a Cup game, but it serves as a preview of a group-stage meeting with the Cavaliers at the Garden on Nov. 25. The Cavaliers host Philadelphia in a Cup game on Friday night, so the Knicks will get a fresh look at both group rivals before they see either one again with tournament points at stake.

New York arrives at 4-4 and playing its best basketball of the young season. After an 0-3 start that included losses to Philadelphia, Boston and Orlando, the Knicks have gone 4-1. The only loss in that stretch was the Cup opener. Their two most recent games were the most convincing: 103-90 over Brooklyn and 135-105 over Chicago, both at home. The 30-point win over the Bulls came after a 133-127 win in Chicago earlier in the stretch, so this offense can score at both ends of a home-and-road set.

The road record is the concern. New York is 1-3 away from the Garden, and its only road win came in Chicago. Cleveland is the first of two straight Cup-group opponents the Knicks will face on the road, with Indiana next on the Cup calendar. With one Cup loss already, the head-to-head results against these teams will likely decide whether the Knicks get back to the knockout rounds.