Skip to main content
All 76ers

One Clear Positive and Negative From 76ers’ Dramatic Win vs. Knicks

Philadelphia willed its way to another win—this time against New York 98-93—using multiple clutch plays down the stretch.
Jacob Moreno|
Oct 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) reacts after his three pointer against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Oct 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) reacts after his three pointer against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Philadelphia 76ers

There’s plenty of ways I could go about this lede. I could illustrate VJ Edgecombe’s dagger three-pointer or LeBron James’ put-back layup that sent Knicks fans back up I-95 north. Or, I could discuss Edgecombe’s “illegal foot-to-foot” contact with Jalen Brunson. But there’s only one thing that came to mind:

The 76ers just win basketball games.

Philadelphia (5-1) outlasted New York (2-4) 98-93 at Xfinity Mobile Arena to start NBA Cup Group Play on a high note. A strong first half powered by an unselfish offensive effort kept the Knicks at arm’s length for most of Friday night. But New York remembered what it was in the second half and nearly came away victorious had it not been for a plethora of clutch plays from the 76ers.

Here’s one positive and negative from tonight:

Positive: Winning close games

Down-to-the-wire victories are nothing new for Philadelphia. Four of the 76ers’ five wins were dictated by eight points or less, but this one mattered a bit more. Philadelphia now has a 2-0 regular-season series lead over the Knicks, which could be important come the Eastern Conference’s seeding order. The 76ers will see New York two more times, but setting an early precedent can’t be seen as anything but positive. 

The Knicks could very well be more threatening come the playoffs, but you could make the same case for Philadelphia. The 76ers came out poised, jumping to a 14-point first-half lead. Their half-court attack was more unselfish and decisive compared to the 114-109 Pacers win on Wednesday. 

LeBron James played point guard to a tee, dishing eight assists to two turnovers; Tyrese Maxey got open without the ball en route to 19 first-half points. The ball moved and the pace was steady until the Knicks came out of intermission.

New York’s coverages tightened, it mustered extra possessions, and Brunson returned to form. The result? The Knicks took a one-point lead with less than a minute left.

But if you’ve watched the 76ers this year, you’d know Philadelphia had the Knicks right where it wanted them. The 76ers ended the game out-scoring New York 9-3 and Edgecombe was the reason why.

He set a screen for Maxey, which freed himself for a spot-up three from the top of the key. He then secured a long rebound off a missed Brunson foul shot, leading to a possession where James converted a put-back layup.

That’s the beauty of Philadelphia winning five of its first six games: the 76ers are doing it on the fly. Not to mention, they were without Jaylen Brown (left knee; patellar tendinopathy). Philadelphia figuring out ways to win on the spot will be an invaluable skill come playoff time. It’s far from the time to declare an NBA Finals favorite, but the 76ers are developing the habits it takes to be one.

All Philadelphia needs is a consistent 48 minutes and to have sustained offensive success in the halfcourt. The starpower and hard-nosed defense are there; it’s still just a process of ironing out the kinks as just 98 typically won’t be enough to win you a game.

Negative: The backup center situation

Try as I may, I couldn’t find a graver weakness for the 76ers than their non-Embiid minutes against New York. Adem Bona had a +/- of -6, totalling four fouls and two turnovers in just 14 minutes. Plus/minus is not the most indicative stat, but factoring in Bona’s poor defensive discipline and lack of presence off the glass, it was hard to argue against it tonight.

These troubles aren’t anything new to Bona; Philadelphia’s backup situation is rocked by injuries to Dominick Barlow (spine), Ariel Hukporti (Achilles), Jabari Walker (left knee), and Tacko Fall (left thigh). The 76ers are limited in what they can do to address this right now, but the backup center situation is becoming too big a problem to ignore.

The Knicks tallied 14 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 20 second-chance points. Philadelphia won the game in other marginal ways like Simons’ five 3-pointers, but such trouble off the glass could be a swing factor in a higher-stakes game

Embiid finished with 10 points on 3-12 shooting from the field and part of the reason why was due to the 76ers not having a reliable option with him on the bench. The 2022-23 Most Valuable Player was stiff on the offensive side, with many of his well-discussed perimeter looks falling flat. That’s not all on Bona or lack of a backup five, but it’d certainly help if that area was improved.

The 76ers will face the Hornets (3-3) on the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday, October 31 at 6 p.m. ET. It remains to be seen whether Embiid and James will be available; they were staggered in the team’s back-to-back last weekend.

Get 76ers On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published
Jacob Moreno
JACOB MORENO

Jacob Moreno is a Sports Media major at Temple University who aspires to become a 76ers beat writer. He previously contributed to The Sixer Sense and also covers Temple Athletics for The Temple News. He is a huge Marvel nerd and falls victim to expensive Lego sets.

Share on XFollow jacob_moreno_