Philadelphia wins close one in New York
76ERS 108, KNICKS 105 NEW YORK Ben Simmons fell an assist short of a triple-double with 20 points and 22 rebounds, Joel Embiid scored 26 points and the Philadelphia 76ers escaped with a 108-105 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.
It was Philadelphia’s seventh straight win over the Knicks.
New York’s Emmanuel Mudiay missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
JJ Reddick had 22 points for the 76ers, who ended a two-game skid. Philadelphia survived a scare after leading by as many as 24 points late in the second quarter before New York charged back with a strong third period and closed the gap to 83-82 with 11 seconds left after Luke Kornet’s jumper.
The 76ers recovered to start the fourth quarter and went on an 11-0 run capped by Jimmy Butler’s driving layup that extended the lead to 94-82 with 6:22 left.
Embiid hit a free throw that extended Philadelphia’s lead to 108-103 with 9.3 seconds to go but then made the mistake of fouling New York’s Damyean Dotson on a three-point attempt.
Dotson hit two of three free throws, cutting the deficit to 108105. Mudiay grabbed the rebound and ran behind the three-point line before his last second heave fell short.
Kevin Knox scored 31 points for New York, who have lost four straight and 19 of their last 22. Notes: With the 76ers leading by 18 points late in the first quarter and again in the second period, Philadelphia fans visiting Madison Square Garden broke into an “E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!” chant in support of the NFL’S defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, who played later Sunday in a divisional round playoff game at New Orleans.