Knicks Win as OG Returns with a Silence and Scores a W
In their bitter victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, the New York Knicks made sure that yet another outstanding defensive performance went unrewarded.
The annual Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament is soon to visit Madison Square Garden, and the Villanova team of the New York Knicks made sure to greet their former conference in grand fashion.
The three Wildcats made up for missed time on the scoring end by leading New York to a 106-79 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. They also made sure that another outstanding defensive performance, which was highlighted by the much anticipated return of OG Anunoby, wouldn’t go to waste.
he Knicks created some franchise history with yet another outstanding defensive performance; they haven’t let up more than 80 points in three straight games since November 2000.
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With their respective 20 points and 16 assists from DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart led the way in Tuesday’s victory, making Sunday’s offensive lackluster performance long forgotten and enabling the Knicks (38-27) to split a pivotal doubleheader with the Sixers. The main story, though, will be Anunoby’s comeback to the Knicks starting lineup following an 18-game layoff due to an elbow injury.
Anunoby made six of eleven shots in 29 minutes of play to go along with four rebounds and 14 points. When Anunoby was playing, the Knicks were plus-28 on the scoreboard; when he wore a New York uniform, however, they improved to 13-2.
The Knicks showed right away that they would stop at nothing to avoid a repeat of Sunday’s dull game. They scored the first six points of the contest, two of which came from a turnaround jumper by Anunoby, and they took a double-digit lead before the first quarter was halfway through, thanks to back-to-back triples from Anunoby and Brunson. In the second quarter, Philadelphia pulled within seven points, but a DiVincenzo three (one of a team-high four along with Brunson) extended the margin to a comfortable 10-plus points.
Some predicted Hart’s minutes to decrease because Anunoby was back and Julius Randle would be returning soon. With his fourth triple-double of the season on Tuesday, Hart went out in style if it was one of his final stands. Hart became just the sixth New Yorker to score at least 20, pull in 15 rebounds, and throw out 10 assists to go along with his team-high point total. Patrick Ewing and Walt “Clyde” Frazier are also on this distinguished list.
In more roster changes brought on by Anunoby, Precious Achuiwa was benched despite contributing eight rebounds and 13 points (6-of-8 from the field). He was one of two reserves in double digits, along with Miles McBride, who was equal to him in part because he made three of five three-pointers.
Despite their struggles on Sunday, the Knicks avoided a sweep and won the season series against the 76ers for the first time since the 2015–16 campaign. The average margin of victory for the Knicks was more than 25 points when combined with their two blowout wins at Wells Fargo Center earlier this winter.
There is still a five-team competition between New York and Philadelphia for the final three automatic playoff berths in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers (36-29) dropped to seventh place and the first Play-In Tournament spot as a result of their defeat and the Indiana Pacers’ interconference road victory over Oklahoma City. The Knicks, on the other hand, are now a full game ahead of fifth-place Orlando after their victory. Following a four-game medical leave, Maxey scored 17 points in his comeback, while Kelly Oubre led the club with 19 points once more.
The Big East Tournament, which begins on Wednesday late afternoon, is the reason the Knicks are now going on a four-game road trip. The Portland Trail Blazers will be the opponent for the first game of the Knicks’ Western tour on Thursday night (10 p.m. ET, MSG).
