Knicks takeaways from Christmas Day’s 119-112 loss to 76ers, including fourth quarter collapse

Dec 25, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) dribbles against New York Knicks center Jericho Sims (45) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks struggled in the fourth quarter and dropped their third straight game, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day, 119-112.

Here are the key takeaways…

– The Knicks got out to an early 10-4 lead over the Sixers thanks to two Julius Randle three-pointers and Jalen Brunson connected with Quentin Grimes on a backdoor cut for an easy two-hand slam. RJ Barrett made his first shot from beyond the arc and two possessions later, Randle hit his third three of the day to go up 28-16 with 4:29 left in the first quarter. New York finished the quarter with 11 assists and zero turnovers as they built a 37-25 lead over the 76ers. Randle scored 13 points in the quarter, while Brunson had 10 of his own plus four assists.

– With the shot clock winding down, Immanuel Quickley found Barrett for three, but Philly’s James Harden came right back with a three of his own to cut New York’s lead to 10 points. Tobias Harris scored inside and forced Tom Thibodeau to call timeout as the Knicks led 40-32 with 7:18 left in the quarter. The two teams continued to trade buckets, as Grimes made his first three of the day to put the Knicks back up 10.

Jericho Sims entered the game for Mitchell Robinson after he picked up his third foul, as Sims grabbed an offensive board and dunked it in to give the Knicks a 54-44 lead with under three minutes left before halftime. After Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid made two free throws to cut the Knicks’ lead to four, Randle scored on a leaner and was fouled, as he completed the three-point play.

– Shake Milton got his Christmas present and made a shot from beyond half-court at the buzzer as the 76ers outscored the Knicks 35-26 in the second quarter, but still trailed 63-60 at halftime. Randle led the Knicks with 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting, as he tied the most points scored on Christmas Day in 25 years, per the broadcast. Brunson scored 10 and added six assists, while Barrett had 11 points and five rebounds. Embiid paced the Sixers with 16 points, while Harden had 11 and De’Anthony Melton chipped in 12 points.

Story continues

– Harden stole a bad pass from Robinson and made an uncontested three, but Randle found Brunson in the corner for three on the next possession to put the Knicks up 83-78 midway through the quarter. Barrett spun his way to the basket to lay it in, although Embiid scored on the next two possessions to cut the Knicks’ lead to five and give him 14 points in the quarter and 30 in the game.

Brunson got his tenth assist of the day by finding Sims underneath for the two-handed dunk over Montrezl Harrell to put the Knicks up 93-88. Harden and Quickley then traded threes as the clock winded down, and New York held on to lead 96-95 after the third.

– Harden connected with Georges Niang for a three-pointer to give the 76ers their first lead of the game, 101-98, with 10:37 left in the contest. Niang caught fire, making back-to-back threes to put the Sixers up eight. Philly continued to dominate the fourth quarter, outscoring New York 21-6 to go up 116-102 with under five minutes remaining.

The Knicks cut the Sixers’ lead to seven with less than a minute left, but it was too little, too late. Randle finished with 35 points in a losing effort, Brunson finished with 23 points and 11 assists, and Barrett scored 17 on just 6-for-21 shooting. Embiid and Harden took over in the second half, finishing with 35 points and 29 points, respectively.

Highlights What’s next

The Knicks travel to Dallas and take on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.