The Knicks opened NBA Cup group stage play by losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, 98-93.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- The reigning NBA Cup champions began this season’s group stage with a dud in the first half.

It was a rough night shooting the ball for New York, particularly from beyond the arc, as it couldn’t penetrate the 76ers’ defense down low, which led to poor shot selection. The Knicks also turned the ball over far too many times and struggled to get into any kind of rhythm.

-- In the first quarter, New York shot 40.9 percent from the field (27.3 percent from deep) and had four turnovers compared to Philadelphia, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor (33.3 percent from deep) and had zero turnovers.

-- Tyrese Maxey led the way for the 76ers with seven points in the opening frame, with Joel Embiid and V.J. Edgecombe each adding six points. OG Anunoby led the Knicks after one with seven points, including a layup in the final seconds to cut New York’s deficit to 29-21 headed to the second.

-- Things stayed the same in the second quarter, with the Knicks relying too much on the three. They only scored 14 points in the paint at halftime while the Sixers had 26. Philadelphia also moved the ball around much better than New York did in the first half, totaling 17 assists to the Knicks’ 10.

-- New York’s starting five all had at least seven points at the break, but the Knicks’ bench was giving them no help other than seven points by Miles McBride. Landry Shamet was scoreless (0-for-3 from three) in 13 minutes and Tyler Kolek had two turnovers in his seven minutes.

-- Meanwhile, Maxey continued to cook New York’s shoddy defense and went into halftime with 18 points on 8-of-12 from the floor. LeBron James also had a big half with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, and despite shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, the 76ers led 53-44 at the half.

-- With how bad the Knicks played in the first half, they still weren’t completely out of it at any point and managed to pull within five points in the third quarter after a flurry of points by Jalen Brunson doubled his point total and made it 59-54.

-- Turnovers by the 76ers hurt them in an ugly third quarter, although they started to hit some threes, which neutralized any attempt by New York to make a run. Nevertheless, the Knicks’ offense did pick up thanks to Brunson’s 13 points in the quarter, but they entered the final quarter still down by nine points after Anfernee Simons drilled his third three-pointer of the frame to cap an impressive 13-point quarter for the 27-year-old.

-- Philadelphia’s lead reached double-digits once again in the early part of the fourth, but New York just kept sticking around as the 76ers weren’t able to deliver a knockout punch. Karl-Anthony Towns scored the team’s first eight points of the quarter before Jordan Clarkson, who hadn’t played at all in the first three quarters, helped out with four points of his own to get the Knicks to within three points.

-- In what became a defensive battle in the final minutes of the game with every possession being ever so crucial, New York was able to hold Philadelphia scoreless long enough to take its first lead since the first minute of the game on Brunson’s three-pointer with 1:32 left that put the Knicks ahead 90-89.

James responded with a fadeaway jumper to retake the lead before Edgecombe drilled a dagger three to go up by four with 34 seconds left.

-- Brunson went to the line for two three seconds later but missed the second shot to keep New York down by three. James made a layup on the other end to give him 20 points, his first 20-point game of the season, and after Anunoby dunked with eight seconds left, it was up to free throws. Maxey, who was held relatively in check following his dominant first half, made both from the line, which sealed the deal for the Sixers, who won without Jaylen Brown.

-- Brunson had 24, Towns finished with a double-double, but it wasn’t enough to knock out Philadelphia, who are now 2-0 against New York this season.

Game MVP: LeBron James

To go along with his first 20-point game with his new team, James also added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block in 34 minutes.

Here are the key takeaways...

Game MVP: LeBron James

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