Knicks, Jalen Brunson Survive 76ers in Divisional Thriller

Clutch Jalen Brunson antics guided the New York Knicks to a much-needed victory.

Feb 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It required a couple of extra Brotherly Shoves, but the New York Knicks doomed the Philadelphia 76ers to their ninth consecutive loss.

The clutch antics of Jalen Brunson thrust the Knicks to a much-needed victory, as they survived the Sixers by a 110-105 final at Madison Square Garden. New York is back in the win column after consecutive weekend losses and has won four in row over the 76ers for the first time since 2015-16.

Desperate Philadelphia ate away at a lasting Knicks lead that summitted at 19 and even jumped ahead temporarily in the fourth but a Brunson three-pointer officially killed off any hope of completing the comeback, giving the Knicks a permanent lead in the penultimate minute.

Feb 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (19) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Brunson put up 14 points for the Knicks in the final period, including a three-pointer over Tyrese Maxey that broke a 102-all tie during the penultimate minute. He ended the night with a game-best 34, four ahead of Maxey, who paced the Joel Embiid-less Sixers in scoring despite shooting 0-of-10 from three-point range.

Brilliant bookends led the way for the Knicks (38-20), who jumped out to an early double-figure lead thanks to 19 opening period points for Brunson's fellow Villanova alum Mikal Bridges. He ended the night with 28 points while Josh Hart was impactful despite only five shot attempts by pulling in 17 rebounds.

Bridges' burst offered the Knicks a 12-point lead after the opening dozen, one that remained fairly consistent until the latter stages of the second half. The Knick lead was still at a healthy 14 with 3:32 remaining in the third but the Sixers shrank it to nine by the time the period let out. The Sixers never let their deficit get higher than 10 from there on out and took the lead with a Maxey double just past the four-minute mark.

Feb 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) and forward Paul George (8) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Though the small deficit briefly reached two possessions, a Brunson takeover saved the Knicks divisional embarrassment: over the last 3:39, Brunson scored all but two points on a final 14-8 run, which included a 7-of-8 tally at the foul line where he was 15-of-16 on the night. The exception was an OG Anunoby dunk with just over 27 seconds left, one that saw him get open to receive an inbound pass from Mikal Bridges and officially break Philadelphia's will.

It was a victorious night for a Knicks group despite a literally painful night in the interior: Karl-Anthony Towns was scratched after enduring a knee injury in Sunday's game in Boston and his replacement in the starting five, rookie Ariel Hukporti, was lost to a knee ailment of his own in the second half. Precious Achiuwa entered and put up a strong defensive performance, rejecting four shots and pulling in six rebounds.

Philadelphia (20-38) has one more chance to earn revenge against the Knicks for ending their last season on April 1 at MSG. In the meantime, the Knicks return to action on Friday night when they face the current Western Conference runners-up in Memphis (8 p.m. ET, MSG).

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