The New York Knicks managed to snuff out a win despite not having Karl-Anthony Towns on Wednesday, defeating the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 125-119. The Knicks get a much-needed win and are now 27-15 on the season while the 76ers’ disastrous season continues to spiral as they are now 15-24.
Jalen Brunson put on a clinic for the Knicks
It is officially safe to say that Jalen Brunson is back to his old form, as he put on a dominant scoring display to help claw the Knicks to a win without their second-leading scorer.
Brunson scored 38 points, dished four assists, shot 14-for-22 from the field and 4-for-6 from three. He didn’t sit at all during the second half and overtime, and he scored 27 of his points in that period to carry New York down the stretch.
Brunson came through once again when the Knicks needed a big performance. He was having his way with the Philadelphia defenders all night long and has seemed to snap out of his shooting funk as well.
Precious Achiuwa was stellar off the bench
Jericho Sims got the start in place of Towns, but it was Precious Achiuwa who stole the show off the bench for the Knicks. Overall on the night, he finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in 30 minutes off the bench.
His presence was most profound in overtime, where he recorded a key block on Tyrese Maxey with the Knicks up eight, and scored a smooth finger roll layup to put them up by three possessions with less than two minutes remaining.
Achiuwa needed that overtime spark, as he allowed Maxey to score the game-tying basket via goaltending to force overtime. New York’s bench has given them very little production this season, but Achiuwa and Miles McBride (13 points, 3-for-4 3PT) both stepped up in a big way when he was tasked with taking on a much bigger role with Towns out.
The Knicks nearly let this game slip away one too many times
The Knicks won this game, but it was not pretty. New York led by as much as 16 in the second quarter, but an awful third quarter allowed Philadelphia to claw their way back and tie the game.
The Knicks were outscored by the 76ers 38-25 in the third quarter, and they were unable to stop Maxey in that period as he scored 13 of his 33 points in the third. Additionally, a key turnover by Brunson in the waning seconds with the Knicks up two allowed the 76ers to tie the game, which they did to force overtime.
Luckily for them, they were able to still win the game thanks to dominating the rebound battle 45-35. Josh Hart led the way in that category for the Knicks with 17 rebounds, part of a triple-double in which he recorded 10 points and 12 assists as well.
Overview
The Knicks will still need to clean up the late-game sloppiness, but they will take the win nonetheless as it counts the same as a blowout. New York will now head back home for a two-game homestand that begins Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden.