The 76ers have owned the New York Knicks over recent seasons, but they found a grittier version on Tuesday, one that has taken the personality of their no-nonsense coach.
Entering the contest with a 13-game win streak over the Knicks, the Sixers
needed a fourth quarter comeback to the defeat the Knicks, 99-96, Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center, extending their win streak to six games.
The Sixers entered the fourth quarter trailing by nine points. They took their first lead of the quarter when Seth Curry hit a long three-pointer for a 90-89 advantage with 5 minutes, 1 second left.
They built a four-point lead with 1 minute, 49 seconds left after a Tobias Harris basket and held on at the end as the Knicks missed a three-pointer with 14 seconds left and Harris sealed the win with two free throws with 7.8 seconds left.
Harris led the Sixers with 30 points. He was followed by Curry with 20, and Ben Simmons with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.
The Knicks were led by Julius Randle and Alec Burks with 19 each.
The Sixers were playing their second game without Joel Embiid after he suffered a vone bruise of the left knee during Friday’s 127-101 win at Washington.
The Knicks showed good energy, especially since they were on the second game of a back-to-back after Monday’s 117-112 loss at Brooklyn. The Sixers, coming off Sunday’s 134-99 rout of San Antonio, will welcome Milwaukee to the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.
How improved are the Knicks? They entered the game with a 20-20 record. After 40 games last season the Knicks were 11-29.
They have not qualified for postseason since the 2012-2013 season.
Just as Doc Rivers has made a major difference in the Sixers, so has first-year coach Tom Thibodeau with the Knicks.
Both coaches go back a long way together. Thibodeau was Rivers’ assistant on the Boston Celtics for three seasons from 2007-2008 though 2009-2010. The Celtics won the NBA title in 2008 and went to the NBA Finals in 2010.
Thibodeau, the former head coach of Chicago and Minnesota, is a true hoopaholic, who is known to watch hour after hour of film.
“He is one of those guys who just loves basketball,” Rivers said before the game. “Early on, I tried to get him out of the office and then I realized that would just make him unhappy, so let him be.”
Known as a defensive guru, Thibodeau has the Knicks playing stingy D. New York entered the game allowing the fewest points per game (105.3) and were sixth in defensive rating, allowing 108.8 points per 100 possessions. (The Sixers were second at 108.0).
So with those two defensive profiles, it was no surprise that points were difficult to come by early on. For instance the first quarter score had the Knicks ahead, 21-20. That led to this tweet from Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, “The 90s are excited about this game.”
Both offenses got it going a little better after that first quarter, but this was not an artistic delight and probably will be more of the same during Sunday’s rematch at Madison Square Garden.
.png?w=600)
