Sixers Collapse From Big Early Lead vs. Knicks on Sunday

Following a Friday night victory on the road against the San Antonio Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers got Saturday off to prepare for their division rivalry matchup against the New York Knicks.

In their first two meetings against the Kicks, the Sixers split the regular season series. During a November matchup in South Philly, the Sixers fell short in a tight matchup against the Knicks, suffering a two-point loss.

Philly would pay a visit to the Knicks on Christmas Day for the first matchup of the highly-anticipated slate. After trailing for a majority of the matchup, the Sixers formed a comeback and snagged a double-digit win over New York.

On Sunday, the Sixers looked to get a leg up on the series at Madison Square Garden.

Quarter Breakdown

1st Quarter

There was no shortage of Sixers fans at The Garden on Sunday night. With a heavy presence of Sixers fans, the visitors got a slight boost from the crowd to start the game, and they certainly gave the traveling fans a show within the opening minutes.

PJ Tucker was unexpectedly active on the offensive end for Philadelphia as he registered a team-high of five points within the first five minutes of the game. He ended up finishing the quarter by going 3-3 from the field, scoring seven points.

To no surprise, the Sixers received an offensive boost from Joel Embiid, who was efficient from the field (2-4) and perfect from the charity stripe by going seven for seven. Along with Embiid, De’Anthony Melton helped lead the charge offensively as he knocked down all three of his shots from beyond the arc for nine points.

With a little under two minutes left to play in the quarter, the Sixers had a notable 35-15 lead. Late in the quarter, though, the Knicks found some life offensively. They ended up forming a 9-0 run in the final minute to get the Sixers’ once-21-point lead down to 11.

2nd Quarter

After heating up with a run to end the first quarter, the Knicks kept the momentum going at the start of the second quarter. New York put together an 8-0 run, turning the 11-point lead into three. Just as the Knicks hoped to knot the score as they got it within one possession, Tobias Harris cut into the run with two free throws.

Seconds later, Paul Reed added two more points by way of an impressive cutting layup with an assist from James Harden. The Knicks found most of their success near the rim in the second quarter. While they didn’t shoot efficiently, Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes totaled 11 points. Evan Fournier helped New York off the bench, knocking down all but one of his four shots and scoring eight points.

Meanwhile, the Sixers slowed down Julius Randle, who led the way for New York early on. After scoring 12 points in his first 12 minutes on the floor, Randle was held to 0-2 shooting from the field in his next five minutes on the court.

But slowing down Randle’s offensive attack didn’t help the Sixers find success on the other end. Putting up 21 shots from the field, the Sixers drained just 24 percent of their shots. After knocking down nearly 60 percent of their threes in the first quarter, Philly went scoreless from deep in the second quarter. Although they maintained their lead going into halftime, the Sixers led by just two points going into the intermission.

3rd Quarter

It didn’t take long before the Knicks took advantage of the fact they cut the Sixers’ lead down to just one possession at halftime. With a Julius Randle three-pointer, the Knicks got out in front with a one-point lead to begin the second half. On the following possession, PJ Tucker put the Sixers back out in front by nailing a corner three to grab his tenth point.

The Knicks attempted to make it a basket-for-basket battle as they tied the game up again with a make from Brunson. However, Harris and Embiid gave the Sixers a quick six-point run as they knocked down back-to-back threes before another basket forced New York into a timeout with seven minutes left.

Leading 66-58 after a quick run, the Knicks managed to force three-straight turnovers from Philadelphia. With five-straight points, New York had the game within one possession again. The third quarter was a tight one. With both teams shooting above 50 percent from the field, they were neck and neck throughout the third. The Sixers edged out the Knicks with a one-point advantage. Going into the fourth quarter, Philly led 79-76.

4th Quarter

Neither team could find an edge in the first couple of minutes of the fourth quarter. After a scoreless two minutes, Tyrese Maxey concluded the cold streak by converting on a finger roll layup, which turned into a successful And-1 opportunity for the reserve guard.

New York bounced back right away with a three-point play from Miles McBride. Eventually, an Obi Toppin three helped the Knicks tie the game up 82. Obi Toppin went to the free-throw line, where he split his attempts. Then, Fournier drilled a 24-footer, giving the Knicks a four-point cushion, which was their biggest lead of the game at that point.

While a James Harden fadeaway jumper didn’t let the Knicks run loose with the lead, New York benefitted from Brunson’s trip to the free throw line, which generated two points, followed by another Fournier three-pointer, giving the Knicks a 91-84 lead.

New York wasn’t bringing the game out of reach from the Sixers, but there was definitely a clear momentum shift in favor of the home team. After a timeout with minutes left to go, the Knicks benefitted from yet, another Fournier three-ball. Following a pair of Harden free throws, the Knicks responded with one successful free throw and a McBride shot from beyond the arc off of an offensive rebound from a free throw miss. With an eight-point lead, the Knicks forced Philly into a timeout.

Coming out of the quick break, the Sixers couldn’t find success on their next offensive possession as Harden missed a 25-footer. On the other end, Harden committed a foul to send Brunson to the free-throw line, where he collected a point to extend New York’s lead to nine.

Julius Randle looked to take on New York’s closer role for the night after a stellar all-around performance by the Knicks. Randle helped the Knicks extend their lead to ten points with a floating bank shot. Then, he hit another floater less than a minute later to force Philly into another timeout while the Sixers trailed by double digits.

The Sixers didn’t waive the white flag and call it quits in the final two minutes, but it was clear the deficit was too steep for them to climb back from as the Knicks maintained their lead. Despite leading by as many as 21 points on Sunday, the Sixers came up short, losing 108-97 to the Knicks.