The New York Knicks breathed a sigh of relief as they hosted the lowly 20-27 Philadelphia 76ers, who’s without Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Guerschon Yabusele, and rookie sensation Jared McCain. The Knicks were just coming off two consecutive brutal losses against the top two teams in the Eastern conference: the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Facing an undermanned and struggling Sixers team looked like an easy task, or so they thought.
New York undoubtedly had the better overall roster. Aside from the injured Karl-Anthony Towns, all the top dogs were ready for another hard-nosed battle against one of their rivals in the East. At one point, the Knicks led by as much as 19 points, thanks to the combined efforts of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby.
However, things started to turn around as the huge deficit slowly slipped away.
Sixers Finally Playing Team Basketball
The Sixers have been struggling all season long, but during the second half of their matchup against New York, something clicked inside the team. Philly’s Tyrese Maxey was ice cold after missing all of his ten attempts from behind the arc, yet he was still able to push for the comeback after relentlessly attacking the rim.
Meanwhile, Kelly Oubre Jr. also found his footing on Thursday. Oubre stepped up to the plate and gathered 27 points while also giving his best defensive effort. On the other hand, veteran star Paul George came out huge by chipping in 25 points, right after letting everyone know that he’s putting his podcast, Podcast P, on hold for now to finally become serious.
Alas, the Sixers found their groove, and finally played like a true functional NBA team.
The Knicks couldn’t stop Maxey, Oubre Jr., and the rest of the Sixers during the final two quarters, allowing the opposing team to erase the double-digit deficit and even allowing them to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
But, just when things were going well, Brunson made one final push by releasing continuous scoring barrage and eventually took the dub, 110-105, even without KAT. Brunson finished with 34 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
Although the outcome was expected, a lot of fans thought that this would be another blowout. After all, one of the worst teams in the league right now is playing on the road against a third seed. But, the Sixers deserve a lot of props. They came close to beating the Knicks, and despite their poor shooting, everyone played a part in their defense.
Head Coach Nick Nurse and every single 76ers fan is glad, despite suffering their ninth straight loss.
