The New York Knicks (21-22) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (5-38) 119-113 in double overtime on Monday afternoon.
Prior to the game, the Knicks received the good news that Carmelo Anthony, who'd missed the previous two contests with an ankle sprain, would be able to take the court. To say that his return was a mixed bag would likely be an understatement. The All-Star forward endured an extremely difficult afternoon from the field, draining only seven of his 28 attempts over six periods. One of those baskets was admittedly crucial, a 26-foot three-point jumper with three seconds remaining that sent the game into overtime knotted at 96. Despite the heroics in regulation however, Anthony subsequently missed all four of his attempts in the first overtime, including an 11-foot jumper with two seconds remaining that would have sent the Knicks home winners. He did tally two points in the second and final extra period, when New York was finally able to put away a game Sixers squad that has shown significant improvement in certain recent outings.
Although he didn't lead Philadelphia in scoring, Ish Smith turned in a remarkable double-double performance with 16 points, 16 assists, seven rebounds and a pair of steals over a whopping 44 minutes. He scored half of his points over the two overtime periods, making good use of the extra opportunity. Jahlil Okafor topped the Sixers in points, tallying 20 and adding seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Nerlens Noel had an outstanding battle down low with rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis, collecting 18 points, 13 rebounds, an assist, two steals and three blocks. Robert Covington put up a modest 11 points, but three of those came on a 25-foot shot with three seconds left in the first overtime period to knot the game up at 107 and send it into the sixth quarter. Isaiah Canaan didn't draw a second consecutive start despite a solid performance in his first crack at replacing the injured Nik Stauskas, but still paced the Philadelphia bench with 16 points, five rebounds and an assist.
The Sixers fell to 5-38 despite the valiant effort, and remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They continue their road trip in Orlando on Wednesday.
Arron Afflalo led the home team's charge with 25 points, seven rebounds and a steal. Anthony managed 19 points despite his abysmal accuracy, and added seven rebounds, seven assists and a steal. Porzingis nearly matched Noel stat-for-stat with his own remarkable double-double, tallying 16 points, 12 boards, four assists, a steal and three blocks. The impressive stat line was generated over 34 minutes, as the rookie was forced to exit the contest with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a sore right foot. Robin Lopez joined him in posting double-digit points and rebounds, amassing 16 points and 10 boards of his own. Lance Thomas led the Knicks' reserves with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and a block.
The Knicks improved to 21-22 and remain in third place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They'll be at home again on Wednesday for a date with the Utah Jazz.
