Sixers beat Knicks 101-100 in overtime, marking the 15th consecutive victory over their Atlantic Division foe
This was the first contest of the Sixers' grueling six-game road trip.
NEW YORK — Some things you know come to be true.
You know Thanksgiving will be the fourth Thursday in November. You know Independence Day will be celebrated on July Fourth. And you know the 76ers will find a way to beat the New York Knicks.
The Sixers’ 101-100 overtime triumph Sunday night at Madison Square Garden marked their 15th straight victory against the Knicks. It’s the longest current winning streak by an NBA team against a particular opponent.
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Philly is also tied for second on the list with 14 consecutive wins over the Charlotte Hornets. The Los Angeles Clippers have won 14 straight versus the Orlando Magic.
On Sunday, Tobias Harris made up for a subpar performance by making the winning foul shots with 5.3 seconds left.
However, the Sixers were very fortunate to have Danny Green on this night. He excelled on both sides of the ball.
He finished with a game-high three blocks and a co-game-high five steals. Green also scored all 11 of his points during the fourth quarter and overtime session. Six of his points came on 2-for-3 shooting from three in overtime.
“Danny saved the game for us,” Doc Rivers said. “He was the only one in my opinion that kept his composure. We made mistakes. The game should have never gone into overtime. Let me just put it that way.
“So you could feel our energy. It wasn’t a good energy. Guys were down. They were mad. They thought they had blown the game.”
Rivers kept telling his players they were going into overtime, which means the game is tied. Green was the only player in the huddle, telling teammates they were going to win the game.
“We did everything possible to give them the game,” Green said. “Guys were not in a great place. I just tried to encourage them the best I could, like ‘It’s a lot of game left, a lot of time left.
“‘Forget what just happened in the past. We got a lot of basketball to play. We can still win this game. We haven’t lost yet. There’s a lot more to happen. So stay positive.’”
He kept telling his teammates that, and went out there and did it.
Seventeen seconds after the timeout, Green burried a three-pointer to knot the score at 91. His second three-pointer of the overtime gave the Sixers a 94-93 lead with 3 minutes, 28 seconds left. Then Ben Simmons added a layup at the 2:34 mark to put them up three. After a Knicks timeout, New York responded with four straight points to take a 97-96 lead with 1:47 to play.
The Knicks clung to a 100-99 lead after the teams traded three-pointers.
But Harris went to the foul line with 5.3 seconds left after being pushed in the back by Julius Randle while fighting for a rebounds. Harris drained the foul shots to give the Sixers a 101-100 lead and make up for the two he missed at the end of regulation.
“You know the right two free throws I got in the fourth quarter, I really couldn’t feel my hand, going to the line to shoot, because of the foul,” Harris said. “I never miss two in a row. So that a tough one.
“But just getting an opportunity again late in overtime, I just wanted to win because we had too much going on and the whole nine. I was like we have to put this one down and get the win.”
After his free throws, Randle came down and missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer and Philly held on to win. The All-Star power forward, who led all scorers with 24 points, was disappointed after the game.
“Blown call by the officials,” Randle said of the foul called on him that sent Harris to the line for the game-deciding free throws. “After all the fouling and everything that was going on, for them to call that and decide the game is [freaking] ridiculous. Yeah, it’s ridiculous. They got to do a better job. It’s too many games like this.”
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In regulation, Green hit a one-legged 12-foot jumper before the shot clock buzzer to give the Sixers an 88-85 lead with 19.1 seconds left.
After the Knicks called a timeout, Randle drove the lane and missed a layup. Harris grabbed the defensive rebound and was fouled. He went to the free-throw line and missed both foul shots with 13.2 ticks left.
New York (21-22) got the ball back with 11.7 seconds left. Randle would bury a corner three-pointer to knot the score with 5.1 seconds left, prompting Rivers to call a timeout. However, Harris couldn’t handle a Simmons pass on the ensuing possession and the game went to overtime after a Randle missed a long three-pointer at the buzzer.
Sunday’s victory improved the Sixers to 30-13 and kept them a game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets atop the Eastern Conference standings. They also have the franchise’s best record through 43 games since the 2000-01 squad went 33-10. That team concluded the season by losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Time will tell how this season concludes.
It’s even hard to predict how the undermanned Sixers will fare in the remaining five games of this grueling road trip. They overcame so-so shooting, 20 turnovers, and weary legs to win Sunday night.
Shake Milton scored a team-high 21 points in a reserve role. Harris had 20 points, but made only 5 of 18 shots and committed four costly turnovers.
“A lot of herendous execution by us tonight,” Rivers said. “It’s good when you win these games. Film is a lot better when you are teaching. We just made a lot of mistakes.”
Rivers had to waste a timeout 36 seconds into the overtime because of the players appearing to lose their spirit.
“So it was one of those games we just had to put it out of them,” the coach said. “I felt like we did that tonight.”
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Simmons added 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven turnovers after missing Saturday night’s 129-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Wells Fargo Center with left knee soreness.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Simmons was a welcomed addition against the Knicks.
Rivers was asked before the game where he thinks Simmons can help most against New York.
“Shoot, everywhere,” he said. “I mean, just Ben being back, defensively, having a facilitator on the floor, get in the paint. So yeah, against anybody he’s big. But against a physical team he’s even more important.”
All-Star Joel Embiid (left knee bone bruise) and shooting guard Seth Curry (sprained left ankle) remained sidelined. Curry, who missed two games, will be re-evaluated prior to Tuesday’s game at the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, Embiid will remain sidelined one or two more weeks for an injury suffered at the Washington Wizards on March 12.
The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. Thursday. Rivers will tell you that Embiid’s return will be bigger than any potential deal that the Sixers can make.
“I like our team,” the coach said. “Listen, if we make a move, great. If we don’t, I love our team. So I don’t get lost in all that stuff.
“The way I look at it, I’m coaching this team and this team is really good. Obviously, getting Joel back is the most important thing. There is no move we can make that’s more important than getting Joel back healthy.”
But on Sunday, Tony Bradley started in place of the league MVP candidate at center for the fifth consecutive game and seventh time this season. And Furkan Korkmaz got the start at shooting guard, joining regular starters Simmons, Green, and Harris.
But the Sixers looked tired playing in their second game in as many days. Shots just weren’t falling and they were committing careless turnovers. They, however, managed to escape with a victory.
The Sixers’ longest winning streak against a particular team is 17 games versus the Cleveland Cavaliers from Oct. 28, 1980 to Dec. 16, 1983. They also defeated the Cavs 16 straight time from April 27, 1999 to Feb. 2, 2003. And the Sixers won 16 consecutive games against the Detroit Pistons from Jan. 19, 1966 to Oct. 24, 1967.