Sixers-Knicks best/worst: Ben Simmons’ all-around game, a big night for the reserves
Simmons played a game-high 41 minutes and 46 seconds and was a force on both ends of the court.
The 76ers overcame a 17-point third quarter deficit to defeat the New York Knicks, 109-104 on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Here are my best and worst from the game.
Best performance: Ben Simmons hit the first three-pointer of his career, but the most impressive thing was his total floor game. He played 41 minutes and 46 seconds and coach Brett Brown said he probably played Simmons too many minutes, but it was tough to take him off the floor. He had an efficient 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, but Simmons also had a season-high 13 assists, just two shy of his career high. He also grabbed seven rebounds, had a steal and a block, and was one of the defensive leaders as the Sixers were making their comeback.
Worst performance: It was a rough night for Sixers forward-center Al Horford. In 25:08, he scored 7 points on 3-for-11 shooting and had a minus-15 rating. Mike Scott took some of Horford’s fourth-quarter minutes, as Horford played just 2:38 in the period.
Best defensive performance: The Knicks were hot from the outside, shooting 13-for-25 from three-point range, but they were outscored, 40-30, in the paint. A big reason for that was Joel Embiid, who had two of the Sixers’ six blocked shots and altered several shots inside.
Worst statistic: The Knicks had only nine fast-break points, compared to 19 for the Sixers. New York did shoot well from the outside, but it could have used more easy points in transition.
Best statistic: The Sixers had 30 assists on 39 field goals. In addition, they had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio with only 10 turnovers.
Worst of the worst: The way the Knicks coughed up the 17-point lead so quickly. The Sixers trimmed 12 points off the lead in less than four minutes and trailed by just 79-74 after three quarters before outscoring the Knicks by 10 in the fourth.
Best of the best: The play of the Sixers bench. The Sixers’ reserves outscored the Knicks’, 45-29. MIke Scott had 12 points and hit 4 of 6 three-pointers. James Ennis scored 11 points and hit 2 of 3 threes. Trey Burke, paired with Simmons, scored nine points and seemed to thrive playing off the ball. Matisse Thybulle had seven points and two steals, and Shake Milton contributed six points, all in the second quarter.