Shara Talia Taylor provides a video report of New York’s 110-105 defeat of the 76ers.
Our video correspondent, Shara Talia Taylor, was at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday as the Knicks edged out the Philadelphia 76ers, 110-105. Capturing exclusive post-game reactions and insights, Shara checks in with Fox Sports’ Rob Parker and got in a few postgame questions for Coach Tom Thibodeau.
Jalen Brunson, who led the Knicks with 34 points, reflected on the team’s struggles throughout the game. “We just weren’t as focused, we were pretty careless with the ball,” he admitted. After losing their lead in the fourth quarter and finding themselves tied at 102 with less than two minutes remaining, Brunson stepped up, hitting a crucial 3-pointer and sinking two free throws to seal the win.
“I think we responded in a way that helped us get a win,” he added.
Coach Thibodeau credited Josh Hart’s tenacity and influence on the game, highlighting his 17 rebounds as a key factor in the victory. “The rebounds in traffic are special. He’s covering a lot of ground to get to the ball and he’s doing it through big bodies and stuff,” said Thibodeau.
Despite leading 33-21 at the end of the first quarter and 28-24 at halftime, the Knicks struggled in the second half, particularly against Tyrese Maxey, who led the 76ers with 30 points. “The start of the fourth, they had Maxey and George in, so they closed the gap there,” Thibodeau noted.
He praised Mikal Bridges, who finished with 28 points, for his defensive effort against Maxey. “The thing is he’s a tough matchup and it’s hard to guard those guys individually, so what you’re trying to do is try to make him work for his points. I thought Mikal did a great job of really working to make it as hard as he could on him.”
Shara also spoke with Rob Parker, co-host of *The Odd Couple* on Fox Sports Radio, about the Knicks’ playoff outlook. Parker pointed out a key concern: the Knicks’ struggles against top-tier teams like the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
“If you’re going to make a move, if you’re going to get to that next level, get to the Eastern Conference Finals, you got to beat the better teams,” Parker said.
When asked how the Knicks could pull off an upset in the playoffs, Parker emphasized the importance of setting the tone early. “If you’re going to have an upset, you have to steal a game that you have no business winning. Maybe punch a team in the face to start, win Game 1, in a kind of fashion where you’re saying, ‘I don’t care what happened in the regular season.’”
Parker also discussed the impact of injuries, recalling last year’s Game 7 loss to Indiana when Jalen Brunson fractured his left hand and OG Anunoby played through a hamstring injury. “Whenever you got to play and you are not whole, it’s always a chance that it catches up to you. You might be able to hold people off for one game, two games, three games, but can you do it for a five- or seven-game series? That’s when it catches up to you, later on in the series.”
Turnovers were another issue for the Knicks, with 16 compared to Philadelphia’s 13. Brunson acknowledged that allowing the Sixers to capitalize on their mistakes kept the game closer than it should have been. “Turnovers, them making threes, and keep cutting the lead down,” he said.
With the Memphis Grizzlies up next, the Knicks will need to build on this performance and start strong. Watch the full video below and let us know your thoughts in the comments!