Edgecombe and Maxey Take Over MSG, Knicks Have No Answer as 76ers Win
Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers heads for the net in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 19, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Madison Square Garden likely still smells like champagne. The Knicks just won the NBA Cup, then followed it by stealing a game in Indiana while short-handed. They’ve won 6 in a row coming into tonight.
For the Sixers, this game sat right on the line between opportunity and excuse. The Sixers had been off since Sunday after a tight loss in Atlanta, where Paul George turned back the clock, dropping in 35 and looking fully comfortable carrying stretches. Tyrese Maxey returned after sitting out for the last 2 games, and Joel Embiid was sick.
So, what version of the Sixers would walk into MSG? Without Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr, they needed to play fast and get out to a lead going into the problematic third quarter. If Philly wants to be taken seriously in the East, they had to go into Manhattan and stop the Knicks from continuing their victory tour.
In the first half, it was a back-and-forth contest; the first quarter was a dead heat to 29, as the first quarter wound down. Maxey showed that he was excited to be back and came to play. He had 10 points in the first and was playing like he was never gone. The Knicks must have gotten the scouting report that Maxey wasn’t going to drive, because every defender played him tight at the 3-point line, and after he blew by them, they had to respect him, and it opened up the distance shooting.
In the second quarter, the Sixers stayed tight on the Knicks despite a better quarter from Jalen Brunson with 7 points. George and Justin Edwards poured in 11, mostly from beyond the arc. They went into the half, 57-59.
In the third quarter, VJ Edgecombe dropped in 11, and all of a sudden, three-point expert Andre Drummond went 2-3 from beyond the arc. The Sixers went to the free-throw line more, and somehow ended up winning the dreaded third quarter 31-28.
This set up a boat race to the finish, the fourth was where Edgecombe took over and shot the lights out. In addition to his scoring, he truly locked down Brunson all game. The knock on Edgecombe coming in was that his distance shooting was sub-par, but he has truly made that a thing of the past. His touch from beyond the arc is now a strength in his game.
Edgecombe was truly electric in the fourth, doing everything, including the dagger, which was him hitting the deck to track down a loose ball and getting it to his backcourt mate Maxey to get the three that put it away.
The Knicks were 1-6 when they trailed after three, and tonight, that trend continued with the Sixers pouring it on in the fourth for a 116-107 win, ending the Knicks’ winning streak at 6 and dropping their home record to 13-2.
What could possibly be concerning for the Sixers in this game was that the only Sixer who was rebounding in the game was Drummond, giving the Knicks a lopsided edge in rebounds tonight, 61-42, and Drummond had 13 of those. We have to expect this with Embiid and Oubre in street clothes, which brings up a very important thing for the Sixers’ season: What is their identity when the former MVP is sitting on the bench due to injury or for preventative measures? If they want to be competitive when Embiid is sitting, they will need to get strong guard play and have lockdown defense on the perimeter to keep the drives to a minimum and keep Drummond on the court.
Tonight, they did just that; the Knicks have been one of the better teams in the NBA with not turning over the ball; they came into tonight’s game averaging just over 13 turnovers per game. They had 14 in the first three quarters alone. Part of this was the Knicks being careless with the ball, but it was also in huge part due to the defense played by Edgecombe and the double-double by Drummond with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
What gives us some hope is that when Maxey and George are in the lineup without Embiid, the Sixers are 8-3, and they are 9-2 after a loss. Generally speaking, games like tonight fluster teams that just had the third pick in the draft the year before, but the Sixers showed that even when they’re missing their big man, they will not be bullied or intimidated. I think it’s safe to say that their identity is hustle and explosiveness, most nights it’s Maxey providing the explosion, and he definitely did tonight with 30 points, but tonight it was Edgecombe making his presence known by dropping in 23, including a clutch 7 in the final minutes of the game.
Edgecombe is showing that he can and will overcome any weaknesses in his game. The East should be scared when playing the Sixers, even more so when the starting backcourt is playing, whether Embiid is in the lineup or not.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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