Philadelphia 76ers turn it on late to beat the New York Knicks
The Philadelphia 76ers unleashed a late rally down the stretch to escape with a 106-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday 7 November at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Elton Brand had another productive night as the oft-injured forward scored 20 points and collected seven rebounds, while Louis Williams and Jrue Holiday added 19 points apiece, with the latter
adding eight dimes for the 76ers.
“It feels OK because we're not winning. But we're just so close to winning,” said Brand, who has scored 20 or more points in the last four games of Philadelphia. “If we were getting blown
out or something, then it wouldn't matter to me, scoring 20 points, I don't care about that. Hopefully this win will give us some confidence to keep building on.”
Evan Turner started the game for the time and he responded to the challenge as the 2010 second-overall pick racked up 14 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, who overcame the absence
of Andre Iguodala, out because of a strained right Achilles tendon.
“It was really good to see these guys feel good about themselves,” Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. “We have been in all these games and the guys finally found a way to finish.”
Brand, who has been bothered by different injuries for the past three years since signing with the Sixers, opened up the scoring parade for Philadelphia as he scored 12 points in the opening
period, giving his team a 33-25 lead heading into the second quarter.
“I remember back in the day he was a beast. He's just been hurt the last couple of years,” Turner said on Brand. “But I feel like he's really healthy and he's out there being a warrior.”
With their backs against the wall, the Knicks rallied to take a 54-52 lead at the half and continued to play well in the second half, and were up by two points, 92-90, with 6:46 left in the
game after scoring seven-straight points.
However, Philadelphia unleashed a run of their own, outscoring the Knicks in the final six minutes, 16-4, to take their second win in their first seven games of the season, while snapping
New York’s two-game winning run.
Amar’e Stoudemire had a big night for the Knicks as the all-star forward scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Toney Douglas and Danilo Gallinari added 17 and 15 points, respectively,
but they couldn’t hold on with their defensive sets down the stretch.
“We had some mental lapses and we came out too not focused like we needed to be,” Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “That stuff happens when you try to dig yourself out a hole and we've
been in a hole here for a few years. We don't have that swagger and that's where we've lost it a little bit.”
Wilson Chandler had 11 points, while Raymond Felton added seven points and 10 assists for the Knicks, who won the previous three meetings against the 76ers.
Tags: