NEW YORK — The Christmas vibe around the 76ers was distinctly different.
Joel Embiid showed up to Madison Square Garden donning a nice pair of jeans, a white hoodie, blue jacket and an expensive pair sneakers. The All-NBA center’s attire drew a reaction because he usually wears sweats, shorts and slippers.
Then an hour before facing the New York Knicks, ESPN reported Sixers point guard James Harden is seriously considering re-signing with the Houston Rockets this summer, which would require him to opt out of the second year of a two-year deal he signed with the Sixers this offseason.
And once the game started, the Sixers found themselves trailing the Knicks by 14 points in the first quarter. But they bounced back from a shocking, untimely report and sluggish start to capture a 119-112 victory.
The Sixers improved to 20-12 and extended their winning streak to eight games. Meanwhile, the Knicks (18-16) dropped their third straight loss.
Embiid finished with 35 points and eight rebounds in what marked the 16th time he’s scored at least 30 points this season. Harden added 29 points, 13 assists and four steals. De’Anthony had 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting. And Georges Niang added 16 points off the bench. The power forward made 4 of 9 three-pointers, tying former Sixers guard Seth Curry for 21st on the franchise’s all-time three-point list with 227.
Dominant duo
Harden and Embiid have been one of the league’s best tandems during their recent string of wins. And they showed the Garden crowd why in the third quarter.
At one point, Embiid accounted for 66.7% of the Sixers points in the quarter. He had 14 points to go with an assist to P.J. Tucker. Embiid added another point before being subbed out with 1:48 left.
That’s when Harden took up the slack. After a Georges Niang basket, Harden scored the Sixers’ final seven points of the quarter. That closed the gap to one point.
He continued where he left off at the start of the fourth. His three-pointer 49 seconds into the quarter knotted the score at 98. Then his ninth assist of the game came on a three-pointer by Niang to give the Sixers a 101-98 lead 33 seconds later.
Then Harden hit a technical foul with 8:54 left to make it a 102-98 game. And his 10th assist came on a Niang three-pointer that made it a 105-100. Niang added another three to put the Sixers up 108-100 with 6:52 left. At that point, Philly was riding a 16-4 run that stretched over 5:13, forcing the Knicks to call a timeout.
New York scored a basket after the timeout. However, the Sixers responded with an 8-0 run to take a commanding 116-102 lead and force another Knicks timeout.
Melton to the rescue
The shooting guard was the main reason the Sixers stayed in the game.
Melton made his first five shots — all three-pointers — against the Knicks. His fifth one knotted the score at the 9:36 mark of the third quarter.
First-quarter blues
The Sixers looked like a team not ready for the game’s noon start, especially Embiid and Tobias Harris.
Embiid missed four of his six first-quarter shots. One of his attempts was a post-up shot that went over the rim. Meanwhile, Harris missed all three of his three-point attempts en route to a 1-for-4 shooting quarter.
As a team, the Sixers shot 42.1% and went 3 of 9 on three-pointers in the quarter. And the Knicks took full advantage, building a commanding 30-16 cushion after Immanuel Quickley’s layup with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left in the quarter.
The Sixers got back into the game in the second with improved shooting. They made 10 of 16 shots, including going 6 of 8 from beyond the third-point line.
Shake Milton ended the half with one of the Sixers’ biggest shots of the season. The reserve guard stole the ball from Jalen Brunson with 1.1 seconds left. Then he made a 50-foot buzzer beater to close the gap to three points (63-60).
Up next
The Sixers will travel to Washington on Tuesday to face the Wizards at Capital One Arena.
