Knicks crush Sixers 112-99 in another three point festival

Kemba Walker had his best game of the season, scored a team high 19 points and led his team to their first victory against the Philadelphia 76ers since April 12, 2017 as the Knicks won their third game, 112-99 at the Garden.

After a balanced first quarter, the Knicks emerged in the second period to take a 20 point lead at halftime which extended to 27 later in the third. The Sixers were unable to comeback and never trailed in single digits until the final buzzer.

Walker, who mostly sat late in the previous matchups, had a terrific second quarter, making four consecutive buckets that counted 10 points in a span of 2 and a half minutes. That increased the lead from 38-47 to 40-57 with under 2 minutes until halftime. The crowd went wild.

“I was waiting for that moment. It was the kind of moment I dreamed of when I was a young kid wanting to be in the NBA, watching the Knicks play, coming to a Knicks game and seeing how the crowd goes crazy. That was a great moment for me.”

– Kemba Walker

Evan Fournier scored 18 points and Julius Randle finished in double-double with 16 points and 11 boards, also dishing 7 dimes.

Once again, the Knicks shot the three ball very well, going 16-37 from long distance. The starting backcourt combined 9 three pointers. In fact, with the exception of Mitchell Robinson, all the players that got on the floor attempted at least one. Obi Toppin and Taj Gibson were the only ones who failed to score from behind the arc but they only combined 3 attempts.

The Knicks shot overall well from the field, close to .500 as they went 41-87. They also made most of their free throws missing just one.

Derrick Rose led the bench with 13 points and Toppin followed with 9. Immanuel Quickly, who finished with 8 points, set the crowd on fire in the second quarter with a crossover that sent Tyrese Maxey on the ground right before launching and draining a three pointer.

The Sixers were led by Tobias Harris with 23 points, 9 points and 9 assists. Joel Embiid scored 14 and Georges Niang dropped 13 buckets. The fans at the Garden gave the Sixers a little rub on the nose early in the game as several chants of “Where’s Ben Simmons” could be heard.

Up-next: The Knicks (3-1) will travel to Chicago on Thursday to take on the only undefeated team in the east, the Bulls (4-0) from 8:00pm.