Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The New York Knicks edged a contentious clash with the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109 on Saturday, as Jalen Brunson poured in 31 points to help get his team’s season back on track. The Knicks will hope they have turned a corner with back-to-back wins, after a 54-point blowout victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday ended a slump that saw them drop nine of 12 games.
New York clung to a three-point lead in the final 10 seconds as the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey missed a three-pointer under pressure before OG Anunoby stole the ball from Joel Embiid. On both occasions, Philadelphia’s claims of an intentional foul were rejected by officials.
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“Composure…we don’t make it easy on ourselves, but I liked the way we fought,” said Brunson, when asked how his team survived the tense final moments. “Obviously we had a slump and worked our way through it. It happened, and now we just got to keep on climbing.”
Sixers center Embiid — the game’s top scorer with 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists — told reporters that both he and Maxey had been “fouled for sure.” Cameroonian-American star Embiid was dominant in the first half, scoring 28 points to hand the 76ers a 64-60 halftime lead.
But the Knicks surged back, outscoring the Sixers 30-13 in a third quarter in which Embiid was denied a single point. The Knicks built a 17-point advantage, before 11 points without reply for Philadelphia in the fourth quarter set up a tense finish at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The Knicks (27-18) now sit third in the Eastern Conference, with the 76ers in sixth (24-20). Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors’ visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves was suspended until Sunday, after federal immigration agents shot dead a man in Minneapolis, sparking fresh protests. “The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” said an NBA statement.
The Wizards-Hornets game began earlier than originally scheduled due to a massive winter storm sweeping across the United States. The game in Charlotte ended in a 119-115 victory for the hosts.
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