The Sixers were able to pull out a win over the Knicks during an eventful night at Wells Fargo Center.
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Wednesday night’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks was eventful, to say the least.
Ben Simmons provided a jolt of energy in the first quarter when he knocked down his first career 3-pointer. A disastrous third quarter almost doomed the Sixers, who saw a two-point lead turn into a 17-point deficit. And ultimately, the team was able to overcome that margin and earn a 109-104 win.
The first half was punctuated by the Simmons 3, but despite the electricity created from the moment, the Sixers weren’t able to distance themselves from the Knicks, taking just a two-point lead into the break.
Then the aforementioned third quarter happened. New York opened the half with a 15-0 run, establishing a 13-point advantage that would get as high as 17 with 4:15 left in the quarter. But the Sixers responded, going on a 14-2 spurt of their own to close the quarter, pulling within five.
The Sixers pulled even at 82 with 9:26 left in the game on a Joel Embiid dunk before a free throw from the big man put them ahead half a minute later. A Mike Scott 3 put the Sixers up for good with just under five minutes to go as they were able to keep the Knicks at arm’s length down the stretch.
Ben Simmons was fantastic, and not just because of the made 3. He finished with 18 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds while committing just a single turnover. Just as importantly, it was Simmons who set the tone defensively to spark the comeback.
Before we get to the rest of the starters, we need to talk about the bench because they too played a huge role in the team’s turnaround. Mike Scott, James Ennis III, and Trey Burke all made a positive impact for the Sixers. Scott hit four incredibly important 3’s on the way to 12 points, adding four rebounds and a block. Burke and Ennis brought excellent energy and made some key plays as well. Burke finished with nine points, two assists, and a rebound while Ennis contributed 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block. It’s fair to wonder if the Sixers are able to complete this comeback without the contributions from that trio.
Going back to the starters, Joel Embiid led all scorers with 23 points, adding 12 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
Tobias Harris chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Al Horford struggled, shooting just 3-11 for seven points. He also had six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
Furkan Korkmaz started in place of the injured Josh Richardson and struggled mightily, scoring two points and dishing one assist while missing all four of his 3-point attempts.
Matisse Thyblle chipped in seven points, two rebounds, two steals, and an assist while Shake Milton had six points and four rebounds.
The start of the third quarter was concerning, and the Sixers perimeter defense left something to be desired as the Knicks shot 52% from beyond the arc. However, it was great to see the Sixers respond and get the win. Adding to the positive, the Sixers committed just 10 turnovers and assisted on 30 of 39 made baskets.
Again, the Sixers will need to limit the kind of lapses we saw in the third quarter, but hopefully, the turnaround showed them the kind of energy they need to bring consistently and what they can be when they do so.
At the end of the day, a win is a win and the Sixers will certainly take this one. They are now 9-5 on the season and a perfect 5-0 at home. They’ll put that record on the line Friday when they host the San Antonio Spurs.
