Despite a rough start tonight, the Sixers exploded in the fourth quarter to fight back against the New York Knicks, winning 99-96. With the absence of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris proved to the league that he should’ve been an All-Star. Harris finished with 30 points and 6 rebounds while looking dominant on both ends of the court late. 

Philadelphia’s defense was stellar tonight as the Knicks had just two made field goals through the final nine minutes. Julius Randle’s last made field goal came at the 7:57 mark in the 3rd quarter, giving New York a 10-point lead. The Knicks “All-Star” was locked up by Tobias Harris late and finished shooting just 7/19 from the floor. 

Seth Curry and Harris were the Sixers’ perimeter threats tonight. Outside of those two, the Sixers shot just 3/19 from deep, with Danny Green shooting 1/10 from the field. New York played with pure hustle tonight and looked to be out working the Sixers on both ends of the court until the fourth quarter, where they scored just 14 points.

Off the bench for the Sixers, Furkan Korkmaz and Dwight Howard led the charge on both ends. Howard was huge in shutting down Randle alongside Tobias while grabbing 12 boards in 28 minutes. Tony Bradley got the start but played only 17 minutes, with Dwight getting the closing nod for Philly. 

Former 76er Alec Burks led new York’s bench. Burks tried to get the Knicks offense going late but was shut down by Ben Simmons. Simmons is now 14-0 in his career against the Knicks and had a near triple-double performance with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists.

The Sixers have now won six straight games, improving to 28-12 on the season and remain in first place in the Eastern Conference. New York falls a game below .500 with the loss. Philly has a quick turnaround tomorrow night with Giannis Antetokounmpo coming to town.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Slocum | Philadelphia Inquirer