76ers Blown Out By Knicks In Final Game Before The All-Star Break

So much for heading into the All-Star break on a high note.

After closing out their west coast trip with a blowout loss to the Trail Blazers, the 76ers followed that up with another blowout loss, only this time at home to one of their biggest rivals, the New York Knicks. It was a slaughter from the jump, as the Knicks outscored the 76ers 72-42 in the first half, and coasted to a victory in the second.

It was all New York in this one, whose fans once again took over Xfinity Mobile Arena. Whether the fans were there or not, it did not matter as the Knicks were unstoppable all evening long. The top performer of the night was the new guy for the Knicks, Jose Alvarado. Alvarado drilled a career-high eight three-pointers for 26 points and added five steals in just 19 minutes off the bench.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges added 22 and 21 points, respectively, while the Knicks as a team shot 45% from three and 53% from the field, compared to the 76ers 19% from three and 38% from the field. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid and Quentin Grimes, but that didn’t matter as Tyrese Maxey was the only 76er who showed up, scoring 30 points, all of it coming in the first three quarters.

Things didn’t start the way the 76ers hoped, as the Knicks came out scoring from the jump. More specifically, Mikal Bridges, who knocked down four of his first five shots to open the game for nine quick points, putting New York up 12 after just three and a half minutes, forcing a timeout from Nick Nurse.

After the timeout, the 76ers finally got some offense going with Dominick Barlow drilling a three, and Maxey adding eight points, but four more points from Bridges and seven from Towns kept the Knicks ahead by 11. As the final minutes of the first ticked down, Maxey and Jalen Brunson traded triples, and after a foul from Trendon Watford, a skirmish broke out with Nurse and Jose Alvarado receiving technicals. Josh Hart added another three just before the end of the quarter as the Knicks went into the second up 36-23.

While the first quarter wasn’t good for the 76ers, the second wasn’t any better. Mohamed Diawara kicked off the dominant frame with a long three, and Alvarado followed that up with back-to-back triples of his own. Andre Drummond and VJ Edgecombe knocked down their first buckets of the night to get some offense going, but with the lack of Joel Embiid on the floor, the Knicks began dominating in the paint.

Whether it was Towns or Mitchell Robinson, the 76ers had no answer for New York’s big men. Through dunks and layups, both centers continued knocking down shot after shot, and Alvarado added another three, extending the Knicks’ lead to 27.

Tyrese Maxey tried to do the best he could to keep Philadelphia in the game, scoring seven straight points to cut the deficit down to 20, but six straight points from Bridges ended that run. With two minutes until the half, Barlow and Landry Shamet traded buckets, and Brunson knocked down a long three to extend New York’s lead to 30, putting them up 72-42 at the half.

Despite the third quarter being the worst quarter this year for Philadelphia, tonight it was their best. That was in large part due to the run that they were able to go on to kick off the quarter, led by six points from Barlow and eight from Maxey. The Knicks were able to eventually answer to get the lead back to 30, but an 8-0 run from the 76ers dropped it back down to a 22-point game.

With three minutes to go until the fourth, the Knicks answered the 76ers’ run with a big run of their own. Philadelphia tried to do the hack strategy, fouling Robisnon, who’s shooting 38% from the line this season, but that plan backfired as he continued knocking down free throws, and when he wasn’t being fould Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson kept the scoring going, hitting three and mid-range jumpers. After the dust settled, despite the 76ers scoring 29 points in the third, the Knicks still outscored them, scoring 32 and taking a 104-71 lead into the fourth.

In the fourth, Alvarado continued his fantastic evening, drilling not one, not two, not three but four triples in a row, increasing his points total to 26 and his threes made to a career-high eight. After Diawara added five points, with seven minutes left to play and the Knicks up 45, both teams began emptying their benches.

Both teams began dribbling out the clock, just wanting the game to get over with as New York wrapped up the win, beating the 76ers 138-89.

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