Evan Fournier got an unexpected chance and ran with it.
With RJ Barrett a late scratch because of a non-COVID illness, Fournier, normally out of the rotation, was the backup guard and sent a reminder about why he broke the franchise’s record for 3-pointers just a year ago.
Fournier’s 17 points — including 5 for 8 from beyond the arc — represented his season high, as the Knicks’ defense stifled Philadelphia in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 108-97 victory at MSG.
The Knicks (28-25) recovered from a very early 21-point deficit, with Joel Embiid predictably a handful while scoring 31 points — including 18 from the foul line.
But the Sixers (32-18) sputtered in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks defeated a top Eastern Conference team for the fourth time in the last two weeks (they also beat the Cavs, Heat and Celtics).
Julius Randle scored 24 points and Jalen Brunson added 21. Fournier, a candidate to get moved before this week’s trade deadline, received a nice ovation from the Garden crowd after he fouled out with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. His 24 minutes was his most since October.
Barrett’s absence was interesting timing. Over three games in the last week, he was benched in crunch time and panned by MSG Network analyst Clyde Frazier for his shoddy defense.
“Barrett has the distinction of being the Knicks’ worst defender, folks,” Frazier said on the Saturday night broadcast. “They have all these stats now and he’s the worst guy.”
Thibodeau predictably backed his 22-year-old wing. But then his team put together one of its better defensive efforts.
“Quite honestly I look at those numbers and they’re meaningless to me,” the coach said about Barrett’s defensive rating. “I haven’t seen a good rating system defensively yet and I think I’ve studied it pretty hard. So I don’t buy into it the way some people treat it as gospel.
Durable throughout his career, Barrett has missed seven of the last 20 games. The Knicks didn’t respond well initially Sunday, falling into a 21-point hole in less than 10 minutes. But they quickly went on a 17-0 run and trailed by just 2 at halftime.
Earlier in the day, the Atlantic Division was shaken up with news of Kyrie Irving being shipped to the Mavericks for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a first-round pick and two seconds.
Although Irving is leaving the city and division, the Knicks have more reasons than ever to root against the point guard. They own the Mavericks’ first-round pick this year — a product of the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019 — and theoretically Irving’s addition will make it worse.
That’s a shaky theory since Irving is less reliable than milk on the morning of its expiration date, but his talent is certainly capable of thrusting the Mavericks to a higher place in the standings.
Thibodeau declined to give his thoughts on the trade.
“That would be a next question,” the coach said.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers also avoided the “news of the day,” as the reporter framed the question about the trade.
“I’m just glad Biden shot down the spy balloon,” Rivers responded.
