The New York Knicks matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers was not the same as anticipated at the start of the season, as both teams were without their star players. Nevertheless, the Knicks took care of business and defeated the 76ers Tuesday by a score of 105-91. New York is now 48-27 on the year while Philadelphia falls to 23-53.
OG Anunony excelled as the Knicks’ first option
The Knicks played this one without Jalen Brunson (ankle) and Karl-Anthony Towns (knee soreness), making OG Anunoby the top option for New York. He continued his excellent stretch of play with a 27-point showing.
He added two steals to his tally and shot 7-for-16 from the floor. Anunoby has been having the best offensive stretch of his career and has stepped up in a big way with several key guys out for New York. He has now scored at least 27 points in five straight games and is averaging 29.8 points in that span.
With the playoffs just around the corner, the Knicks have all the reason to be very encouraged by Anunoby’s recent stretch, especially with Brunson’s return becoming more imminent. With him playing at his highest level on both ends, New York looks like a much deeper squad than ever.
Landry Shamet had his best game of the season against the Sixers
Landry Shamet has taken advantage of the increased opportunity over the past couple of weeks, and he continued that with his best performance of the season on Tuesday. Shamet scored 20 points off the bench, a new season-high for him, and knocked down six three-pointers.
In recent weeks, he has come on as a reliable bench scorer and has seen the floor more with Cameron Payne and Miles McBride dealing with injuries. When the Knicks first signed Shamet before the season, they were hoping that he would be a reliable shooter in the second unit to help boost the bench’s production.
While it has taken some time for him to get into a groove, he has found his shot at the right time and could find himself in playoff minutes. He is now averaging 12.2 points over his last five games and is shooting an absurd clip from three-point range of 48.4%.
Mitchell Robinson posted a double-double starting for the Knicks
Mitchell Robinson got his first start of the season with Towns sitting out, and he did not disappoint in that outing. Robinson played 21 minutes and recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds with two blocks, putting on a dominant showcase inside on both ends of the floor.
Robinson has looked a lot more like himself in recent games, as it seems like his conditioning is close to where the team wants it to be. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that he feels that Robinson’s timing is back (h/t The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III).
The Knicks will need Robinson big time during the postseason, as he provides the size and rim protection that they didn’t have for most of the regular season.
Overview
Though the 76ers were without their big three of Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, the Knicks still took care of business despite missing several key players themselves and moved ever so closer to clinching the East’s third seed. They have a big test coming up on Wednesday as they head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers.