76ers escape with 108-105 win over Knicks
NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons backed up his tough talk with a big day.
Simmons had 20 points, 22 rebounds and nine assists, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 108-105 on Sunday.
Joel Embiid scored 26 points for the Sixers, who were coming off a 123-121 home loss against Atlanta on Friday night. JJ Redick added 22 points, and Jimmy Butler finished with 16.
Simmons called his team “too soft” after the loss to the lowly Hawks. He answered his own challenge with a pair of big plays late in the fourth quarter against New York.
The Knicks pulled within two on rookie Kevin Knox’s 3pointer with 3:02 left, but Simmons pulled down an offensive rebound and fed Redick for a key jumper.
A defensive rebound for Simmons set up Redick’s two foul shots with 20 seconds left, lifting Philadelphia to a 10698 lead.
“I thought especially the offensive rebound at the end of the game that led to JJ’s 3, I thought that was the game,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “They made it close at the end, but I thought his overall performance was dominant.”
New York’s Emmanuel Mudiay missed a potential gametying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Knox had career-high 31 points for the Knicks, who have lost four straight and 19 of 22. Luke Kornet had a career-best 23 points.
At 19 years, 155 days, Knox became the sixthyoungest player in NBA history to score 30 points in a game, joining Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
“Those are some legendary players,” Knox said. “There’s a lot of other players on that list, but it just shows the work (I’m) putting in is paying off. Those are some great guys (to share) company with.”
New York trailed by as many as 24 points in the second quarter, but closed to 8382 on Kornet’s basket with 11 seconds left in the third.
The 76ers responded in the fourth, beginning the quarter with an 11-0 run. Simmons capped the spurt by finding a driving Butler for a layup that made it 94-82 with 6:22 left.
“We have to lock down on defense and offensively take care of the ball,” Simmons said. “I think that’s really it. Everybody needs to be locked in.”
Five of the Sixers’ next six games are against teams competing for a playoff spot. They host Minnesota on Tuesday night, and then visit Indiana on Thursday. They play Oklahoma City, Houston and San Antonio during a three-game homestand beginning on Saturday against the Thunder.
“I’m excited,” Embiid said. “We’re going to see how good we are and how good we can become or how bad we are. The next three weeks are going to shape our season.”