On January 16, 2025, Beijing time, the 76ers with a record of 15 wins and 23 losses faced the Knicks with a record of 26 wins and 15 losses at home. The 76ers were playing back-to-back games (they lost to the Thunder the previous day), but Maxi and George did not participate in yesterday's game, so their physical condition was not an issue. On the 76ers side, Embiid, Martin, and Drummond continued to be absent, with the starting lineup being Maxi + Gordon + George + Oubre + Yabusele. On the Knicks side, Towns was absent, with the starting lineup being Brunson + Bridges + Hart + OG + Sims.
In the first quarter, Bridges and OG scored three-pointers, giving the Knicks a 6-0 lead. Oubre made a 2+1 play, and Hart made a putback, putting the Knicks up by 5 points. Yabusele made a layup, and Bridges, Brunson, and Sims responded, increasing the lead to 9 points. George scored 6 consecutive points, but Brunson and Bridges responded, keeping the lead at 9 points. Dotting made a floater, and Brunson responded with a three-pointer, extending the lead to 10 points. George and Yabusele reduced the deficit to 4 points, but Brunson and McBride extended it back to 11 points. Conciel made a layup, and the first quarter ended with the Knicks leading 30-21.
In the second quarter, Achiuwa made a layup, giving the Knicks an 11-point lead. Maxi and Bona scored for the 76ers, but Payne, Hart, and Bridges responded strongly, increasing the lead to 16 points. Gordon and Maxi reduced the deficit to 11 points, but Bridges, Payne, and Sims scored again, maintaining a 12-point lead. McBride continued to score, while Oubre and George tried to close the gap, reducing it to 9 points. OG, Achiuva, and Brunson scored, and Edwards made a putback, ending the half with the Knicks leading 60-47.
In the third quarter, Oubre made a three-pointer, reducing the deficit to 10 points. Brunson and Sims scored, extending the lead to 14 points. Gordon and Maxi scored consecutively, and although Brunson and Bridges responded, the lead was cut down to 6 points. Brunson, OG, and Bridges scored again, but Maxi, Gordon, and George kept the 76ers within striking distance, with the lead down to 5 points. Sims dunked, but George and Oubre scored 6 points in a row, reducing the deficit to just 1 point. Brunson made a layup, and Dotting made a three-pointer to tie the game, ending the third quarter with both teams tied at 85-85.
In the fourth quarter, Brunson and Achiuwa scored, and Dotting and Oubre responded, tying the game at 89-89. OG, Achiuva, and McBride extended the lead to 7 points, but Edwards scored 5 points in a row to reduce the deficit to 2 points. Hart and Brunson increased the lead to 6 points, but Maxi scored 5 points in a row to bring the 76ers within 1 point. Brunson made a mid-range shot, and Edwards made a three-pointer to tie the game again. Hart and OG increased the lead to 5 points, but Maxi made a 2+1 play to bring the deficit down to 2 points. Brunson made a layup, and Maxi made both free throws, keeping the deficit at 2 points with 14 seconds left. After a timeout, Brunson turned the ball over, and Maxi made a layup to tie the game with 3 seconds left. OG missed a mid-range shot, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, OG dunked and Brunson scored 6 points in a row, giving the Knicks an 8-point lead. Oubre and Yabusele scored for the 76ers, but Brunson, Achiuva, OG, and Bridges responded, extending the lead to 11 points. George and Maxi scored 5 points in a row to reduce the deficit to 6 points, but the Knicks turned the ball over, and Edwards missed a three-pointer. The game ended with the Knicks defeating the 76ers 125-119, refusing to let the game be reversed.
Brunson scored 38 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists on 14 of 22 shooting. Bridges scored 23 points with 2 rebounds and 2 assists on 9 of 19 shooting. Hart scored 10 points with 17 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals on 4 of 9 shooting, recording his fifth triple-double of the season and setting a personal record for rebounds this season. OG scored 17 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. McBride scored 13 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Achiuva scored 10 points with 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Maxi scored 33 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists on 13 of 32 shooting. George scored 26 points with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals on 9 of 20 shooting, with 23 points in the first three quarters and only 3 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, showing a trend of starting strong but fading late in the game. Oubre scored 16 points with 10 rebounds, Gordon scored 14 points with 1 rebound and 2 assists, and Yabusele scored 9 points with 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
After the loss, the 76ers suffered their fourth consecutive defeat and are currently ranked 11th in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers' management needs to face the reality: although the team has a luxurious roster on paper, Embiid's frequent absences make it too difficult to build a championship contender around him. This season, the 76ers may not even make the playoffs, let alone win a championship.