Knicks Lose Mitchell Robinson But Win Thriller in Philadelphia
The New York Knicks looked a little different on Friday night. In a rewarding twist, they earned themselves a different result as well.
Having inserted Quentin Grimes in the lineup and using a rare Julius Randle/Obi Toppin pairing in the wake of Mitchell Robinson's knee injury, the Knicks earned their first road victory of the season at Wells Fargo Center, securing a 106-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Former Wells Fargo star/Villanova alum Jalen Brunson led the way with 23 points.
The Knicks (4-4) dropped their first three road games of the season against elite competition but finally broke through on an opposing scoreboard against a Philadelphia group missing both Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Much like Wednesday's brutal home loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks endured a brutal third quarter, getting outscored 30-16 after Robinson limped to the locker room in the latter stages of the opening half. Philadelphia's third period outburst gave them a nine-point lead entering the third, but several New York reserves stepped in to provide big minutes.
The starter Randle (17) united with Toppin (11) for 26 points, as the Knicks held a plus-14 advantage when the two of them shared the floor. Isaiah Hartenstein (10) and Immanuel Quickley (6) hauled in a combined 16 rebounds while Cam Reddish sank all four of his attempts from the field en route to an 11-point evening.
After Philadelphia (4-6) opened up a 12-point lead in the early stages of the final frame on a Furkan Korkmaz triple, five quick Toppin points via a three-pointer of his own and an alley-oop sparked the Knicks' late run. Evan Fournier, who stepped out of the starting to make room for Grimes (two points in 15 minutes in his second game back from a foot injury) provided the assist on the dunk before a driving lay-up officially put the Knicks back in it.
Toppin wound up sinking a trio of triples in the fourth quarter, his last giving the Knicks the lead for good with 1:27 remaining before a successful and-one for Brunson commenced a free throw exchange. Appropriately, Toppin's fateful shot came from the arms of Randle, his last assist of five on the evening to go with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 31 points but shot 10-of-29 from the field, which included a missed open triple with 25 seconds remaining after Matisse Thybulle rebounded a missed P.J. Tucker free throw. The 76ers shot 13-of-47 from three-point range in defeat and have dropped two in a row after a three-game winning streak. New York and Philadelphia will next do battle on Dec. 25 in Manhattan.
The Knicks won't have long to celebrate this win, as they immediately return to action on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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