The Philadelphia 76ers ended the New York Knicks’ six-game winning streak with a 116-107 victory at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, with Tyrese Maxey scoring 30 points and VJ Edgecombe adding 23.
76ers head coach Nick Nurse praised Edgecombe’s impact. “He was really, really huge. He did a little bit of everything and just made some big buckets. Most importantly, getting over every ball screen and staying in front of Brunson at the end,” Nurse said.
Nurse reflected on the team’s overall performance. “I think just about everybody who hit the floor had a good game. Maybe Q [Quentin Grimes] would like a different game, but everybody else super contributed. We played very well tonight,” he said.
The coach highlighted the second-half improvement on the boards. “It felt a lot better in the second half. We were getting to a bunch of them first and just not collecting them in the first. Jared came flying in for a really tough rebound in traffic, and that’s what you’ve got to do,” Nurse explained.
Jared McCain received special mention for his closing efforts. “He was kind of breaking even in the first half, which is okay. Then he hit that three, made a couple tough drives, and rebounded on defense. He’s a gamer, and it was nice to let him play through a tough game,” Nurse said.
Nurse also discussed Adem Bona’s contributions. “It was a tricky one tonight. Bona had some really good plays, was active enough to make good plays, and held his own defensively against Robinson,” he said.
Paul George’s role was largely defensive, according to Nurse. “He didn’t get many good shots, but he had a couple huge defensive rebounds and a big plus-minus. You can go two for 10 and still have a great game, and that’s what he did tonight,” he noted.
The coach emphasized the value of younger players filling critical minutes. “We’re figuring it out better now. VJ got to command the team in Tyrese’s absence, and we feel better knowing we can keep surviving on the offensive end with these guys,” Nurse said.
Philadelphia’s win came despite trailing by a single point entering the fourth quarter, outscoring New York 28-20 down the stretch. Andre Drummond contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds in Joel Embiid’s absence, while Maxey and Edgecombe’s shooting stretched the Knicks’ defense.
The 76ers improved to 15-11 and will host Dallas on Saturday, while the Knicks fell to 19-8 and will host Miami on Sunday. Philadelphia’s combination of perimeter shooting, defensive pressure, and rebounding proved decisive against New York’s six-game streak.
