By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
An exciting game at Madison Square Garden to open the five-game schedule of NBA Christmas Day.
Improving to 20-12 with an eighth win in a row in the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season, the Philadelphia 76ers rallied past the New York Knicks, 119-112, Sunday.
Embiid overcame a sluggish start dropping a total of 35 points behind 12/22 from the field. James Harden, reportedly potentially considering a return to the Houston Rockets, posted a 29-point, 13-assist double-double in the comeback win. The powerful pairing combined for ten points in the fourth quarter while Georges Niang put up 12 of his 16 own points.
Dallas-born Julius Randle pouring 35 points was not enough to prevent the team coached by Tom Thibodeau from dropping a game-long lead in the fourth period and lacking a response fell to 18-16 with a third consecutive loss. Exiting with an apparent hip injury in the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson logged a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double.
European action was limited to German Isaiah Hartenstein packing two points and one rebound in 15 minutes. Turkish Furkan Korkmaz did not play for the 76ers. Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and French Evan Fournier both stayed on the bench for the Knicks.
This was the league-high 13th meeting of the Knicks and Sixers on Christmas Day, part of yet another league-high of 55 Christmas appearances for the New York franchise. Christmas Day records respectively went to 9-14 for the winning side and 23-32 for the hosts.
On Doc Rivers’ injury list, Tyrese Maxey (left foot fracture) was sidelined by the Sixers. Thibodeau missed Obi Toppin (right knee).
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