Surging Sixers hand Knicks their third straight loss
Tyrese Maxey scored 36 points to highlight the Philadelphia 76ers' 130-119 road win over the slumping New York Knicks on Saturday.
Maxey finished 14-of-22 from the field (6-of-9 from 3-point range), while rookie VJ Edgecombe knocked down four 3-pointers in a strong 26-point performance. Joel Embiid added 26 points and 10 rebounds as Philadelphia prevailed in the finale of a five-game road trip.
New York matched a season high with its third straight loss despite 31 points from Jalen Brunson. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks, while OG Anunoby notched 19 points for the hosts.
After leading by eight points at halftime, Philadelphia increased its advantage to 17 points in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Paul George hit two 3-pointers early in the period before Maxey's triple made it 81-64.
The Sixers led by 19 with under three minutes to go in the third. However, the Knicks' bench made a push in the closing stretch to get the team within 12 points (99-87) entering the fourth.
Towns scored seven points in the first two minutes of the final period, bringing New York within 103-94, but Philadelphia regained the momentum when Edgecombe blocked a 3-pointer by Mikal Bridges then hustled downcourt for a transition dunk.
With under five minutes remaining, Maxey silenced the crowd with a tough jumper and a contested 3-pointer. Embiid dunked in the waning seconds -- his first slam of the season -- as the Sixers went on to win their third straight game.
Philadelphia led 31-30 after a first quarter in which neither team led by more than five points.
That changed early in the second quarter as the Sixers scored nine straight points to go ahead 46-38 on Jared McCain's deep 3-pointer. Shortly thereafter, Embiid's putback gave the visitors their first double-digit advantage.
The Sixers led by as many as 13 late in the half before Brunson's two free throws and Anunoby's 3-pointer got the hosts within 66-58 at the break.
Brunson led all scorers with 21 points in the first half, while Edgecombe paced Philadelphia with 18.