The road has not been kind to the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and it looked like they might be on their way to another disappointing road loss Saturday night before Tobias Harris and the defense saved the day.
The first quarter proved to be a sign of how this game would play out. The teams traded jabs, with the Knicks leading by as many as two and the Sixers leading by as many as five before settling the period with Philly holding a 28-25 advantage.
Early in the second quarter, it looked like the Sixers may be asserting themselves, building a 10-point lead. But the Knicks responded, coming back to tie the game with 3:12 to play in the half. Philadelphia was able to end the quarter on a 7-1 run, reestablishing a six-point lead at the break.
New York got the better of things in the third quarter, winning it 23-18 and setting the stage for a nail-biting fourth quarter.
The teams played within four points of each other through the early part of the quarter before the Sixers pushed their advantage to seven at the 6:45 mark on a Tobias Harris and-one. It was looking good for the Sixers, but they proceeded to go scoreless for over four minutes, allowing the Knicks to get within one before Al Horford finally broke the drought.
The Knicks kept coming and took the lead on a Marcus Morris jumper with 31 seconds left. The Sixers answered with a Tobias Harris 3, then played suffocating defense on the ensuing possession, getting a trap near the sideline and eventually forcing a turnover. Furkan Korkmaz hit 1-of-2 from the line, Morris missed a last-second heave, and the Sixers escaped.
Ben Simmons led the way with 21 points while Josh Richardson added 18 and Tobias Harris chipped in 15, including the game-winner. Korkmaz followed up his career-high night against the Bulls on Friday with another 17 points. Al Horford only had four points and shot 2-of-9, but he hit that huge jumper to break the drought when the Sixers desperately needed it.
On the surface, the win doesn’t feel particularly encouraging. The Sixers struggled to dispatch a team that entered the game with an 11-31 record, continuing to struggle both on the road and against teams that you would expect them to beat handily.
However, a closer look paints a brighter picture. First, at this point, any win on the road, no matter how ugly, is a huge plus for this team. Just as importantly, the Sixers didn’t let offensive struggles, particularly in the fourth quarter, effect their defensive focus and intensity, something they’ve struggled with at times this season. The Sixers held the Knicks to 39.8% shooting and made plays down the stretch.
Regardless, the Sixers will certainly take it. They’ve now won three straight and snapped a six-game road losing streak. They will try to build on the win in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee Monday in Brooklyn.