There’s a purpose “Let’s Go Knicks” chants echoed by way of Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Heart on Wednesday night time. The sector, simply 25 miles from Villanova College, felt like a house recreation for New York, fueled by followers embracing the native legends who as soon as dominated the faculty scene.
There’s additionally a purpose MVP chants adopted Jalen Brunson to the foul line late in additional time. He earned them.
Brunson delivered within the clutch, making one decisive play after one other to stop what might have been the Knicks’ sixth loss of their final eight video games. As a substitute, the All-Star captain powered his group to a gritty 125-119 additional time victory over the 76ers.
Disaster averted.
Brunson led the cost with a game-high 38 factors on an ultra-efficient 14-of-22 taking pictures from the sphere. Eight of these factors got here in additional time, the place he cemented victory No. 27 for New York this season.
And similar to in his Villanova days, Brunson wasn’t alone.
Mikal Bridges, one other Wildcats alum, drained 5 3-pointers and completed with 23 factors on 9-of-19 taking pictures. In the meantime, Josh Hart notched his fifth triple-double of the season, tallying 10 factors, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals. Hart is now simply three triple-doubles shy of Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s single-season franchise report of eight.
The Villanova trio sealed the deal within the further interval. With 1:02 remaining, Hart stripped Tyrese Maxey, pushed the ball in transition, and lobbed an ideal alley-oop to Bridges, extending the Knicks’ result in 11.
That cushion didn’t final lengthy — it by no means did on this tightly contested matchup.
The Knicks opened the sport with a 14-5 run and constructed a 16-point lead within the second quarter, fueled by Bridges’ 4 first-quarter 3-pointers. However the Sixers roared again with an enormous third quarter, outscoring New York 38-25 to arrange a dramatic fourth.
New York held a four-point lead with simply 18 seconds left in regulation, however Maxey had different plans. After sinking two free throws, he raced down the court docket for a game-tying layup with three seconds on the clock. An OG Anunoby heave on the buzzer missed its mark, sending the sport into additional time.
“It took a little bit of everything,” Hart stated. “We’ve been trying to find it these last couple games. We’ve just gotta go out there and compete. I feel like we did that.
“Go win the game. That’s the biggest thing. We can’t change anything that happened in the past. We’ve got five minutes to go win this thing.”
And win it they did.
The Knicks by no means trailed, going an ideal 5-of-5 from the sphere and 5-of-5 from the foul line in additional time, displaying the poise and precision of a group decided to proper the ship.
They wanted it, particularly with out Karl-Anthony Cities, who missed the sport with a sprained proper thumb sustained in Monday’s loss to Detroit. The Sixers, too, had been shorthanded, taking part in with out MVP heart Joel Embiid attributable to a foot harm.
Maxey carried Philadelphia with 33 factors on 13-of-32 taking pictures, whereas Paul George added 26 factors on 9-of-20 from the sphere.
The Knicks discovered surprising contributions from their bench, which outscored the Sixers’ reserves for simply the fourth time this season. Miles McBride chipped in 13 factors, and Valuable Achiuwa added 10, offering the depth New York has desperately wanted.
Now the Knicks flip their consideration to Friday, when former teammates Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo return to Madison Sq. Backyard as members of the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s one other check for a group combating to remain on the right track in a crowded playoff race.
For now, although, the Knicks can savor a hard-fought win — one which began with Villanova satisfaction and ended with Brunson’s brilliance.
They’ll want extra of each to proceed righting the latest wrongs they’ve suffered in video games towards the NBA’s upper-echelon groups.
