Sixers 101, Knicks 100 (OT): “Chaos reigns at the Garden”
The Philadelphia Refere… — I mean, 76ers* — outlasted the New York Knicks on Sunday night in overtime, 101-100, despite late-game heroics from Alec Burks and Julius Randle.
The year is 2035.
In a triple-overtime thriller, two-time Sixth Man of the Year and veteran point guard Immanuel Quickley came off the bench and scored 42 points, all floaters, leading the New York Knicks to their first win over the Philadelphia 76ers since 2017.
OK, but seriously.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
The New York Knicks fought hard, made some tough shots, played the right way on the defensive end of the ball, and were rewarded with…
...a controversial call by the officials and a loss.
Surprised? Yeah, me either.
New York fell short in overtime on Sunday night against Philadelphia, 101-100, extending their streak of losses against the 76ers to 15 straight games.
Eventually, you’d think, something’s got to give.
It almost did on Sunday, after a 3-pointer from Reggie Bullock put the Knicks up 100-96 with just a minute to go in overtime.
The sequence of events that followed is now carved into (at least) the short-term memory of New York fans everywhere.
Tobias Harris, at the tail end of a terrible performance, countered Bullock’s shot with a three of his own to bring Philadelphia within one. Alec Burks missed a jumper on the other end, and a loose ball foul call on Julius Randle sent the 76ers wing to the line with a chance to seal it.
But wait — I’m sure you’re asking yourself the obvious question here.
On a play as controversial as that one, and in a game as close and important as this one, accomplished head coach Tom Thibodeau would call a timeout and challenge the call, right?
Right. But unfortunately, the referees had other plans. They ultimately ruled that Thibodeau didn’t properly call for a challenge, and then proceeded to charge the Knicks with the timeout.
Tobias Harris hit his free throws, to the surprise of none. By this point, it was clear who the basketball gods had elected the victors of this defensive showcase.
Randle got a decent look on the other end, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Notes
Julius Randle finished the night strong, after recording just 10 points in the first half on poor efficiency. He walked off the court (quite angrily I might add) having tallied 24 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Oh, and he played 46 minutes, but I’m sure that will be one of many discourses among New York Knicks fans on Monday morning. Also, he had this 3-pointer to send things into overtime. A really fun moment for all involved:
Randle’s 20-year-old counterpart (and future All-Star) RJ Barrett played 39 minutes of his own. And despite what the box score shows, trust that this was one of the best games of his career: 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He continues to make strides on a nightly basis, and Sunday night’s performance saw him showcase his playmaking ability. Barrett consistently got the ball to the shooter’s pocket and would have finished with more assists if not for some bad luck team-wide on the Madison Square Garden rims.
There were just two referees for Sunday night’s game — Leon Wood and Courtney Kirkland — due to a third official being ruled out due to the league’s health and safety protocol. Seems NOTEWORTHY that it was already an OFF NIGHT for the officials from the jump.
Alec Burks is an enigma. He finished the first three quarters with just four points and then scored 16 between the fourth quarter and overtime. He’s not changing up his shot profile, and Thibs isn’t drawing up any particular plays with aim of getting him going; he just kind of flips a switch at a moment’s notice. There’s just one more game until the trade deadline, so the timing of his 20-point performance on Sunday couldn’t be better. A second-round pick is starting to look like the floor for a potential Burks return, should the Knicks even choose to move him.
It wasn’t a night to remember for Immanuel Quickley. Philadelphia’s size proved incredibly problematic for him — he finished with 10 points on 4-12 shooting from the field and 2-6 shooting from deep. He did sink in a couple of floaters, though — and honestly, being able to check that box on a nightly basis is great. The more defenses he can land them on, the more right Knicks fans will have to call the move unstoppable.
New York’s other rookie, Obi Toppin, had an even worse night. The eighth overall pick played just under seven minutes and finished scoreless for the fourth straight game. I’m not giving up on Toppin by any means, but it’s getting harder and harder to argue he should be getting minutes in the rotation over someone like Kevin Knox (who’s 30-75 from three this year).
Give credit where it’s due: Nerlens Noel had a monster game. He finished the night with 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and a block in 36 minutes. OK, that’s enough gushing over Nerlens.
This was one hell of a defensive standoff. Everyone and their mothers were tweeting about the ’90s vibes from this matchup, and you can bet your ass Tom Thibodeau loved every second of it. Even against a team without Joel Embiid, this was an impressive display from the new New York Knicks — they held the 76ers to 43 points in a half and 88 points in regulation. For the non-believers out there, Philadelphia scored 129 points against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night and had half as many turnovers as were forced by New York on Sunday.
Mitchell Robinson made his return, and despite having a few of his trademark moments, was largely quiet on the evening before turning his ankle in the fourth quarter. His night ended with four points, six rebounds, and an assist.
In the middle of all the muck between Tom Thibodeau, Julius Randle, and the officials, Clyde hit us with a classic: “Chaos reigns at the Garden.”
Sunday night’s loss to the 76ers will be remembered as nothing short of chaotic. It will also be remembered as a win by New York Knicks fans.
Officiating is a hard job already. But why do they have to be so bad at it?
