It was a tough night to begin for the Philadelphia 76ers. Whenever a team is down their top two players, let alone two of the top players in the league, it is always a challenge no matter who the opponent is.
On Thursday, they found a way to get it done.
Tobias Harris stepped up in a big way scoring 14 points in the opening quarter on his way to 34 for the game as the Sixers knocked off the New York Knicks 115-106 to improve to 28-2 at home. Harris also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
Harris looked every bit the player this team expects on Thursday. He was aggressive early and often, he took big shots when they were needed, and he did not back down from the added pressure with the injuries to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. He set the tone for them early.
A big swing in this game was the third quarter when the Sixers got a big quarter out of Josh Richardson. The veteran shooting guard was scoreless in the first half, but came out strong in the third scoring 10 points on his way to 11 for the game. Al Horford had a solid all-around game of 15 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists as he had a big bounce-back night.
Make way.@J_Rich1 | #PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/V32pNVnC35
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 28, 2020
Shake Milton continues to impress filling in for Simmons as he had 19 points and four assists while shooting 6-for-7 from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 from deep. He has been a nice surprise amidst all of the drama surrounding this team.
The Sixers now must use this game as some type of springboard for their upcoming road trip. The four teams they will play are much tougher than the hapless Knicks beginning on Sunday with the Los Angeles Clippers. [lawrence-related id=26638,26626,26616]