Maxey, Edgecome lead 76ers past Knicks for third-straight win

An impressive showing by the Philadelphia backcourt led the Sixers to a 130-119 win over New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. It marks the Sixers’ third straight win, following up a three game losing streak.

Philadelphia improves to 19-14 on the year and holds the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks drop to 23-12 for the season and are the 2 seed in the East.

The dynamic guard duo for Philly in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe unloaded an offensive explosion in New York in the Garden, dropping a combined 62 points in the game. The three-point shooting was the highlight of their performances as they added a total of 30 points just from beyond the arc.

Maxey continued his case for the MVP with a 36-point, near double-double. The 25-year-old is the third leading scorer in the league, and his shotmaking ability has been a trait that’s one of the best in the league, marking his third straight 30-point game. Maxey added eight rebounds and four assists in the game, along with three steals.

Edgecome’s candidacy for Rookie of the Year improved as well as Maxey’s MVP case after a 26-point performance on Saturday night. He efficiently knocked down 10 of his 16 shots and four of his nine threes. Edgecome’s 41 minutes were some of the most minutes he’s seen all season long, and he did not disappoint. Defensively, the rookie had two steals and two blocks, showcasing his elite athleticism. His steal on an inbound with just over a minute remaining and emphatic slam derailed the comeback hope from New York.

Along with Maxey and Edgecombe, Joel Embiid‘s performance was refreshing to see. Embiid dropped a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double, making it his third double-double of the season. He’s made comments about how he finally feels like himself again, after having a slow and sluggish start to the season. From moving up and down the court to finishing shots that he couldn’t finish before, Embiid has completely revitalized himself since the beginning of the season.

A common theme for the Sixers this season has been having a slow third quarter. The team has taken care of business throughout the other three quarters, but the third has been the issue. Against New York, Philly held on in the third and outscored them 33-29.

To go with the team’s hot third quarter, Philly’s defense completely outmatched New York’s. The Knicks, who are known for their versatile offense, couldn’t seem to start any big runs. mainly due to the deflections and takeaways that the Sixers forced. Philadelphia had seven steals and 10 blocks, while New York had nine steals but only two blocks.

All around, Philadelphia simply outplayed New York in all aspects of the game. New York was led in scoring by Jalen Brunson, who had 31, a few points of which came in garbage time. After Brunson, the only Knick to score over 20 points was Karl-Anthony Towns, who inefficiently scored 23 points, shooting six for 16 from the field. But it wasn’t just scoring that New York struggled with, as the team was outrebounded, had less asssits, and more turnovers than Philadelphia. New York also shot just 43% from the field, compared to the Sixers 54% and 40% from three, to Philly’s 47%.

Philadelphia moves on to play a Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets on Monday night, and New York takes on Detroit on Monday as well. Philly’s game can be streamed on Peacock at 8:30 P.M.

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