The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves playing on Christmas Day for the first time since 2019 as they paid a visit to the rival New York Knicks up at Madison Square Garden. The Sixers had won seven games in a row while the Knicks had won eight of their last 10 so the matchup was highly anticipated.
The Knicks got off to a hot start as they built a 14-point lead in the first quarter, but the Sixers kept scrapping and finding a way as they rallied for a 119-112 win on Christmas. The Knicks led throughout the first three quarters before Philadelphia finally took a lead in the fourth quarter due to the two-man game between James Harden and Georges Niang.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 35 points and eight rebounds, Harden had 29 points and 13 assists, De’Anthony Melton added 15 points on the strength of five triples, and Niang had 16 off the bench.
NBA Twitter from fans and analysts alike reacted to the win: