NBA: Knicks complete biggest comeback of season to topple 76ers
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New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (right) taking a shot against Philadelphia 76ers at the Madison Square Garden on Feb 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – Evan Fournier, pressed into duty with R. J. Barrett out due to illness just before the opening tip, scored a season-high 17 points and drained three key three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks completed a comeback from a 21-point first-quarter deficit to beat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 108-97.
Said 76ers centre and last season’s runner-up in the Most Valuable Player stakes Joel Embiid: “A 20-point lead in the NBA, that’s nothing. Any team can come back and that’s what they did tonight.”
Julius Randle (24 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) flirted with a triple-double for the Knicks, who recorded their biggest comeback win of the season and won for the first time when trailing after three quarters.
On what was different on Sunday compared to their overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers the previous night, Randle said: “I think the biggest difference between last night and tonight, where I thought we could have won, it was our defence tonight.”
Jalen Brunson had 21 points and seven assists while Quentin Grimes added 13 points. Miles McBride came off the bench to score 14 points while fellow reserve Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 rebounds.
Embiid (31 points, 14 rebounds), Tobias Harris (14 points, 10 rebounds) and James Harden (12 points, 12 assists) recorded double-doubles for the 76ers, who had their eight-game road winning streak snapped. De’Anthony Melton scored 14 points while Tyrese Maxey had 12 points and P.J. Tucker added 10.
Embiid scored 11 points in the first quarter for the 76ers, who took their first double-digit lead at 17-6 with 6min 21sec left and went on a 12-0 run to take a 33-12 lead with 2:28 remaining.
The Knicks responded with a 17-0 run bridging the quarters to pull within 35-32 with 10:02 left before half-time. New York cut the deficit to a basket several more times before the 76ers carried a 53-51 lead into the locker room.
Randle opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to give the Knicks their first lead since 2-0 and begin a period filled with runs. The 76ers had runs of 8-0 and 10-4 while New York ended the quarter with a 9-3 spurt to pull within 79-76.
Maxey began the fourth quarter with a three-point play before the Knicks scored the next 10 points. Obi Toppin’s free throw put New York ahead for good at 83-82 with 9:12 left.
Following a 76ers turnover, Fournier hit his first three-pointer of the period. Fournier, who played in just two of the previous 13 games, extended the Knicks’ lead to 91-84 with his second trey with 6:35 left.
His final trey put New York ahead 94-88 and the hosts never led by fewer than four the rest of the way. REUTERS
