New York, N.Y.- Despite having Karl-Anthony Towns on the sidelines the New York Knicks earned the season sweep against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Knicks were shorthanded on Tuesday night as they earned the win against the 76ers. Along with Towns being out, superstar point guard Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, and Cameron Payne remained out of rotation for the Knicks.
Despite that the Knicks came out strong to begin the game against the Sixers in the first half. The Knicks jumped out to a 59-42 lead in the half. OG Anunoby put up 18 points in the half, joined by Mitchell Robinson with 14 points and 8 rebounds as the Knicks enjoyed a 17-point lead.
The 76ers came out in the third quarter to attempt a comeback as they outscored the Knicks 28-21 in the quarter. The Knicks were held to a 40% field goal percentage as the 76ers shot 66% from the field. But the Knicks would sustain the pressure applied by the 76ers and ultimately come out with a 105-91 victory.
Former Knicks guard Quentin Grimes shined for Philadelphia despite the loss, scoring 26 points and snatching eight rebounds in the homecoming.
“I’m kind of pretty comfortable in this arena, playing here for three years… it was good to go out there and see a lot of friendly faces out there,” said Grimes.
Among the top performers for the Knicks was OG Anunoby, who scored 27 points while grabbing five rebounds, Mitchell Robinson had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, and lastly Landry Shamet poured in 20 points coming off the bench while knocking down six threes.
“We had guys out, so next man up. That was the mentality,” said Robinson.
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau spoke on his team’s performance despite being out key pieces, giving credit to the guys that stepped up throughout the night.
“Landry and Mitch gave us a huge boost tonight with guys being out… with guys being out OG has been on a tear,” said Thibodeau.
Knicks are back in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in Cleveland as they look to stay hot and finish the season strong.
