Knicks need overtime but they get a road win over the 76ers
The Knicks scored the first eight points in overtime en route to a 125-119 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia Wednesday night. The Knicks are now 27-15 and have won both of their games against the 76ers so far this season.
The 76ers were playing the second of back-to-back games and were playing without Joel Embiid. It should have been an easy game for the Knicks but they were playing shorthanded, too, as Karl-Anthony Towns missed the game with an injured thumb.
Without one of their top scorers, Jalen Brunson took a primary offensive role. He finished with 38 points. But he had plenty of help in this game. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby opened the game with 3-point shots and that duo hit 8-20 from behind the arc. Bridges finished with 23 points while Anunoby added 17.
Josh Hart notched his fifth triple-double of the season – accomplished in regulation – with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. He had several really strong sequences where he made a play on the defensive end and then was a major contributor to scoring on the ensuing possession. One time he came up with a steal, made a twisting play to get free and move up the court and then threw a pretty lob to Bridges for a dunk.
The Knicks had a 13-point lead at the half but gave it away in the third quarter, as they were outscored, 38-25 in the period. And again in the fourth quarter, the Knicks had a four-point lead with 18 seconds left and were unable to put the Sixers away in regulation.
One of the unheralded stars in the game was Precious Achiuwa. With Towns out of the lineup, Achiuwa logged 30 minutes and had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. On top of that, he did a fine job of handling the ball, giving a small break to Brunson. Achiuwa finished with a +9, second on the team to Hart’s +10, accomplished in 19 more minutes than Achiuwa.
Next up for the Knicks is a home tilt against the Timberwolves Friday night.
Nice team effort last night. Caught bits and pieces of this game and was quite impressed with Hart and of course Brunson, when he takes charge. He was doubled quite a bit and they smartly defended him from the left side to prevent those 25 foot three point attempts. This was certainly a team they needed to beat and I was worried when they could not close out the game in the last 20 seconds and when they trapped Brunson and came up with the ball. Big effort as overtime started and they could put the first eight points on the board. Some tough games ahead.