Sixers Stay Hot With Eighth-Straight Win Over Knicks on Christmas

The Sixers picked up their eighth-straight win on Christmas Day with a win against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Sunday’s matchup between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers marked the 13th time the two teams faced each other on Christmas.

When the Sixers and the Knicks met earlier this season, Philadelphia was down two key players. With Joel Embiid and James Harden out for the night, the Sixers ran through Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris.

The game was close, but the final results went in favor of the Knicks, as they put the Sixers away with a 106-104 victory. Since the November 4 battle between the Sixers and the Knicks, both teams have established a hot streak.

After a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, the Sixers picked up their seventh victory in a row. As for the Knicks, they struggled to come out on top in matchups against Chicago and Toronto. However, prior to their two-game skid entering Sunday’s game, the Knicks fired off eight-straight wins.

Considering both the Sixers and the Knicks have found success as they look to climb the Eastern Conference ladder lately, Sunday’s primetime matchup had a lot of hype behind it.

Pregame Notes

• The Knicks defeated the Sixers earlier in the year on the road with a two-point win

• When playing at home this season, the Knicks were 8-9 going into the matchup

• The Knicks’ longest losing streak of the season was three games. They entered Sunday’s game with two-straight losses

• On the road, the Sixers were 5-7 this year going into the matchup

• Against Eastern Conference opponents, the Sixers were 13-8 going into the matchup

• The Knicks were without Obi Toppin, who missed his ninth-straight game due to a knee injury. In November, Toppin’s season-high of 17 points came against the Sixers

• Philadelphia played without Tyrese Maxey for the 17th time this season. Maxey remains off the floor due to a fractured foot

Quarter Breakdown

1st Quarter

Similar to their Friday matchup against the Clippers, the Sixers got off to a slower start on Sunday. As New York’s Julius Randle caught fire from the field, he spent the entire 12 minutes on the court, draining four of his seven shots and two free throws for 13 points. Knicks’ Jalen Brunson tacked on ten points of his own.

The Sixers didn’t shoot as efficiently from the field. The starting five produced 19 points, while the team shot 42 percent from the field overall. Doc Rivers utilized five players off the bench and even went with an all-bench lineup at one point. Shake Milton, Montrezl Harrell, and Georges Niang each scored two points. 

New York outscored the Sixers 37-25 through the first quarter of action.

2nd Quarter

The Sixers didn’t necessarily bounce back quickly after a slow start to the matchup. The Knicks continued rolling on offense, while Philadelphia looked out of sorts. Eventually, the Sixers settled in, though.

Through the second quarter, Philadelphia got a strong offensive effort from Embiid, who scored 11 of the team’s 35 second-quarter points. Seven of Embiid’s points came from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Knicks continued rolling on the back of Julius Randle, who knocked down five of his eight second-quarter baskets for 12 points.

The Knicks still looked like the better team through most of the second quarter, but a rally from the Sixers led to Philly outscoring New York 35-26. The Sixers’ late run was capped off by an impressively successful half-court heave from Shake Milton.

SHAKE MILTON HOW?! 🔥

pic.twitter.com/T7Tm4ld5gg

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 25, 2022

3rd Quarter

The Knicks continued making it hard for the Sixers to shift the momentum of the matchup coming out of the half, but Joel Embiid’s offensive dominance wouldn’t allow the Knicks to pull away.

The Sixers’ big man knocked down six of his nine shots from the field, hitting on three shots from beyond the arc. Embiid produced 15 points in ten minutes.

Meanwhile, his co-star James Harden started catching fire towards the end of the quarter. The star guard knocked down three of his five shots from beyond the arc for 12 points. The Sixers outscored the Knicks coming out of the half, but New York’s efficient shooting prevented Philadelphia from getting out in front.

Overall, the Knicks drained over 70 percent of their shots in the third quarter. The Knicks were working to stay out in front, but the Sixers made it difficult as Philadelphia trailed just one point going into the final quarter of the outing. 

4th Quarter

It didn’t take very long for the Sixers to gain their first lead of the game after entering the fourth quarter trailing by one point. After a pair of threes from Harden and Georges Niang, the Sixers got out in front, looking to shift the momentum of the game.

To say they were successful in doing so would be an understatement. For the second-straight game, the Sixers got out in front in the fourth quarter after a slow start and took total control. Once Philadelphia got out in front, they refused to look back.

With a 24-16 rally, the Sixers got a significant boost from their sharpshooter off the bench, Georges Niang. The veteran dropped 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, James Harden dished out five of his 13 total assists in the fourth quarter. 

The Sixers came out on top with an impressive 119-112 comeback victory. With that win, they advance to 20-12 on the year, snagging their eighth-straight victory. 

Standout Stats

76ers

Joel Embiid: 35 points, 8 rebounds

James Harden: 29 points, 13 assists

Georges Niang: 4-9 from 3 PT, 16 points

Knicks

Julius Randle: 35 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists

Jalen Brunson: 23 points, 11 assists

Player of the Game

Joel Embiid

In what was a shaky overall performance by the Sixers for a strong majority of the matchup, Joel Embiid kept the Sixers afloat with a fantastic offensive performance through three quarters. The big man scored 31 of his 35 points in the first three quarters. Once Embiid’s teammates started getting the ball rolling in the fourth quarter, the big man was rewarded with a team win. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.