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Sixers-Knicks best and worst: Joel Embiid remains unstoppable, Ben Simmons locks down R.J. Barrett, Seth Curry provides sharpshooting Philly acquired him for

Barrett missed 13 of his 15 shot attempts against the Sixers.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Seth Curry, left, and New York Knicks forward Reggie Bullock, right, chase after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in New York.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Seth Curry, left, and New York Knicks forward Reggie Bullock, right, chase after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in New York.Read moreAdam Hunger / AP

NEW YORK — The 76ers opened the season with consecutive victories for the second straight campaign. They’ll look to improve to 3-0 when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Here is my look at some of the best and worst performances from the Sixers 109-89 victory over the New York Knicks Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Best performance

This shouldn’t come as a surprise that Joel Embiid gets this for the second straight game. He finished with game highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds to go with 1 steal and a block. Twenty of Embiid’s points came in the first half.

Worst performance

I had to give this to R.J. Barrett. The Knicks guard missed 13 of his 15 shot attempts. The second-year player also committed four turnovers. He finished with 10 points thanks, in large part, to making 6 of 8 foul shots. But this was definitely a night Barrett would love to forget.

Best defensive performance

Ben Simmons gets this after barely missing out on the award in the season-opener. The Sixers point guard had a huge hand in shutting down Barrett. Simmons actually set the tone on the former Duke standout, contesting his three-pointers and making it hard for him to drive the lane.

Simmons finished with 2 blocks and 1 steal while also producing 15 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Worst statistic

I had to give this to the Knicks’ three-point shooting. They missed 21 of 29 threes. Barrett went 0-for-6 from deep.

Best statistic

This goes to Seth Curry making 3 of 4 three-pointers. The Sixers shooting guard showed why the team acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks to provide spacing for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

Worst of the worst

This goes to the Knicks staffer, who stitched up Reggie Bullock’s uniform. The swingman’s uniform had No. 25 on the front and No. 23 on the back.