If 76ers fans were already tired of hearing about the “Nova Knicks,” Tuesday night couldn’t have helped. A big night from N.J. native Karl-Anthony Towns dumped even more local salt in the wound and ruined the Sixers' NBA Cup opener.

Karl-Anthony Towns has 21 points and 13 rebounds and OG Anunoby leads with 24 points as Knicks win their first game in NBA Cup.

The Knicks had six players in double-figures, led by a dominant performance from Karl-Anthony Towns, to earn a 111-99 win over the 76ers to open NBA Cup play Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

The Chicago Bulls are facing the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Acquiring star center Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timber

The Knicks have relied on rim protection under coach Tom Thibodeau and the drop from what Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein provided has been drastic. But the Knicks believe that some of that is just bringing the new group together with Towns and Mikal Bridges newcomers on the roster.

There are a lot of things that go into the promise of what Karl-Anthony Towns can be for the Knicks. Some of them are obvious.

What to expect from the top New York Knicks players and how to watch the game as they face off against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

The Knicks' defense has been their Achilles heel early this season. They rank 21st on that end of the floor, allowing 111.2 points per game on 48.0 percent shooting, the NBA's fifth-highest mark. A shockingly bad Towns stat is at the center of their struggles.

Embiid didn't have to face Mitchell Robinson, who defends the Sixers center well, but he did have to play Karl-Anthony Towns, who was traded to the Knicks before training camp. New York's new center finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block in the Knicks' 111-99 NBA Cup win.