The shorthanded New York Knicks barely scraped by the even more depleted Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night, winning in a thrilling fashion 110-105. The Knicks improved to 38-20 on the season while the 76ers have dropped nine consecutive games and are now 20-38.
Jalen Brunson saved the Knicks down the stretch
With the Knicks playing without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee), they would need Jalen Brunson more than ever in this one. They seemed to be in the driver’s seat with a 19-point lead at one point, but a late Philadelphia rally led by Paul George and Tyrese Maxey allowed them to come back and take a four-point lead with less than three minutes left.
That’s where Brunson came in. He finished the game scoring 12 of their last 14 points and went on an individual 9-0 run to reclaim the lead for the Knicks. His efforts saved the game for New York as they avoided what could’ve been a disastrous loss.
Brunson finished with 34 points and seven assists on the night. He also went 15-for-16 from the free throw line, which was critical down the stretch as he was finding a way to get to the line. The Knicks needed a Brunson masterpiece after suffering two blowout losses to the Cavaliers and Celtics this past weekend, and they got one at the best time.
Mikal Bridges had a big bounce-back for the Knicks
Mikal Bridges had been struggling in February entering Wednesday’s game against the 76ers. In his last 10 games, he had scored 20 or more points just once before Wednesday.
With Towns out, more shot opportunities came for Bridges, and he took full advantage of it. He scored 19 points in the first quarter and made his first six shot attempts, two of which were three-pointers, en route to a 28-point performance.
Bridges also got the job done defensively with two steals and a blocked shot. The Knicks were simply not getting enough from Bridges all month long, but they got a performance on Wednesday that better justifies trading several first-round picks to acquire him in the offseason.
The hope is that he figures it out the rest of the way and can enter the postseason on a high note.
Josh Hart threw an uncharacteristic amount of turnovers
Josh Hart dominated the glass for the Knicks with 17 rebounds, but it was still a night he would like to forget as he struggled on the offensive front. He scored seven points and dished four assists but turned the ball over a staggering seven times.
A lot of those turnovers came at bad times as well, most notably one in the fourth quarter where Philadelphia was able to respond with an open three-pointer to cut their deficit to just one.
Luckily for New York, they were still able to hold on despite the careless turnovers. They will hope that this game was an anomaly from Hart and that he will come out with better ball control in their next game.
Overview
The Knicks barely hang on and avoid disaster, but they would rather have an ugly win than anything else. New York will now head on the road for a much more formidable matchup on Friday when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies on the road.