The Knicks were in position to potentially win a big game for their playoff hopes, but came up short to the top-seeded Sixers on the road. Some games just exude disappoint, and this was one of them, writes Matthew Miranda.

The Knicks lost 99-96 to the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night. It’s now Wednesday morning and I still don’t know how to frame the loss. Usually recaps come to me pretty quickly; if I don’t know the main idea before the game ends, I’ll have it within a half-hour afterwards. Not this time. Not with this loss. All I know is it was a very, very bothersome defeat.

The East-leading Sixers were missing MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid while the Knicks remained sans Derrick Rose, Elfrid Payton, and Mitchell Robinson (though the news on Mitch is encouraging). This felt like a game the Knicks could get, one they need if they’re going to make the playoffs. The style of play and intensity throughout was like a playoff game. Midway through the first, the 76ers had only scored four points, but an 8-0 run gave them the lead. Once Nerlens Noel subbed out they were shameless in rushing the rim. Dwight Howard even hit a long two-point jumper. That hurt.

The scoring started picking up in the second. New York led most of the night, kickstarted by this Alec Burks 4-point play:

Howard must’ve ate some 2010 pills before warmups, ‘cuz he was impacting the game on both ends like I haven’t seen in years. Philadelphia needed it, because other than his play and Tobias Harris hitting from downtown, there wasn’t much going on with Philadelphia’s offense. Some of that came down to the Knicks’ defense.

The Knicks stayed in front but never pulled away, thanks in part to no one remembering how to shoot free throws. But their transition game was kicking: on one push, Julius Randle made a beautiful pass to find Reggie Bullock for three, and then Rowan Barrrett Jr. got out in space to push the lead to 10.

But the cracks in the foundation were clear. Bullock picked up his fourth foul with 2:00 left in the half. Immanuel Quickley had to go to the locker room with a groin issue, and not in a good way. Howard continued to hurt the Knicks down low, and not in a good way. The Knicks held onto the lead, but this game gave off powerful “I wish it were 40 minutes instead of 48” vibes.

The third quarter got underway and in a moving bit of humanity, Seth Curry decided Harris shouldn’t shoulder Philly’s long-range game all by his lonesome. Non-Steph went off, making a 4-point play and multiple 3-pointers en route to a 14-point quarter. This was where past Knicks teams would have pissed away the entire lead and spent the fourth licking their wounds.

But now is not then and they are not them. This game’s sign of the Knickpocalypse: the rarely seen 3-on-none New York fast break.

Bullock picked up his fifth foul early in the third, which hurt on a night where his shooting was meaningful. Barrett stepped up, which was encouraging given how badly Ben Simmons shut him down last time these teams met. 

New York led by nine entering the fourth, but it was a tenuous nine. Fucking Furkan Korkmaz got the Sixer comeback rolling with a couple of buckets. Matisse Thybulle — yes, Matisse Thybulle — hit a 3-pointer. 515 pounds of humanity collided when Randle tried dunking on Dwight. Howard held the line.

The Knicks hung on until five minutes left, when a Curry 3-ball put the Sixers ahead. Harris kept Philly ahead with some timely bucketeering. With 30 seconds left, the Knicks were down two. Out of a timeout, Randle drove and threw RJ a 100 MPH pass with Barrett five feet away from him. He did well to catch the ball, but missed a fallaway jumper. The Knicks had one more chance down three, but Bullock’s corner 3-point attempt was whistled dead for his heel having touched the sideline.

I have no theme to tie this all together. I’m just irritated with the loss. That’s it.

Notes

• 14-of-22 on free throws is no way to go through life, son.

• I appreciate Burks’ play of late. His actual performances are up and down, but he’s been given an expanded role with Payton and Rose out and has done an admirable job keeping the wheels moving. I once waited tables at a place where we were so short-staffed one day I was also hosting and cooking. I know how Burks must feel. You are seen, Alec.

• A season-high 10 for Taj Gibson, who took a goodly sum of loooong jumpers.

• Mike Breen shared that Quickley missed six of his first 100 FTAs, then clanged five of the next 20.

• A LOTTA bodies hit the floor in this game. Bodies away from the ball. This was some playoff intensity.

• Breen and Clyde went over Howard’s career resume. I completely forgot he spent a year in Washington. What a weird Hall-of-Famer he is.

• “Shake” Milton is a cool name, but did you know his real name is Malik? Malik Milton would be one of the cooler names in the NBA. 

• I’m def not ready to write him off. But I’m def starting to wonder some things about Obi Toppin.

Quoth Q*bert: “@!#?@!” What an annoying loss. Whatever. Next game is tomorrow when the Knicks host Orlando, the start of a four-game homestand. Win, Knicks. Win.