Knicks Takeaways from Wednesday's 109-104 loss to Sixers, including New York's fourth-quarter collapse

The Knicks' lead grew to 17 points in the third quarter before a Sixers run

11/21/2019, 2:41 AM
Nov 20, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett (9) passes the ball past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher
Nov 20, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett (9) passes the ball past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher

The Knicks were unable to hold on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, where New York fell 109-104 to the Sixers. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Wednesday's game

1) Backup point guard Dennis Smith Jr. started strong but cooled off, but his 13 points off the bench served the Knicks a bright spot. He shot 5 for 9 from the field and drilled 2 of 3 three-point tries, leading the Knicks with 10 at the half.

 

2) Beyond Smith's scoring, the Knicks had four others drop double digits, all of whom started in Wednesday's lineup. small forward Marcus Morris led the way with 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting and a 4-for-6 clip from three-point range, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing six assists en route to the double-double outing. Point guard Frank Ntilikina and power forward Julius Randle added 17 points apiece, while power forward Taj Gibson pitched in 11.

3) RJ Barrett started despite his sprained left thumb, and he had a mixed outing. The rookie shooting guard posted eight points on 4-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. 

4) The Knicks looked to be in the driver's seat with 2:33 to go in the third quarter when Ntilikina's 17-foot jumper put the Sixers down 79-64, but Philadelphia roared back on an 18-3 run into the 9:26 mark of the fourth quarter that tied the game at 82 apiece. From that point on, the Sixers outscored the Knicks 27-22 and held on.

5) The Sixers made shots down the stretch the pull away. After Randle went 1 for 2 from the free-throw line to trail 96-95 with exactly two minutes left, the Sixers stepped up with Mike Scott's 29-foot triple to go ahead 99-96. Morris missed a nine-foot jumper on the other end and Embiid came back to bury a 26-foot triple for the 102-96 cushion, effectively putting the Knicks away with 51.2 seconds left.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks (4-11) return home to Madison Square Garden in New York for the weekend with Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against the San Antonio Spurs (5-10) before Sunday's 6 p.m. tip-off vs. the Brooklyn Nets (5-8).

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