The undermanned New York Knicks welcomed All-Star guard Jalen Brunson back to the lineup and turned in a stellar defensive effort in their latest outing.
The Knicks look to build momentum on Sunday when they host the Philadelphia 76ers in the opener of a two-game series. The rivals will play again on Tuesday in New York.
Brunson scored 26 points in his return from a left knee contusion in the Knicks’ 98-74 victory over the Magic on Friday. The win allowed New York to leapfrog Orlando in the Eastern Conference standings, moving it into fourth place.
While Brunson made 11 of 19 shots from the floor, it was the Knicks’ defense that was the talk of the night. The Magic shot just 34.2 percent overall and 23.1 percent from 3-point range on their way to recording the lowest point total in the NBA this season.
“Being short-handed right now, we have to do it with our defense and our rebounding and keep the turnovers down,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And so when we fly around and work together like that and we have the type of activity that we did, that gives us a chance to win.”
The Knicks could see another familiar face return to the fold on Sunday, as OG Anunoby was back at practice after right elbow surgery.
Brunson scored 29 points and fellow former Villanova star Josh Hart added 10 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in New York’s 128-92 romp in Philadelphia on Jan. 5. The two shined in the rematch on Feb. 22, with Brunson collecting 21 points and 12 assists and Hart contributing 18 points and 12 boards in the Knicks’ 110-96 win.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who erupted for 35 points in that February contest, has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion in Philadelphia’s 120-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks last Sunday. The short-handed 76ers have lost the three games that followed, including falling behind by 35 points in an eventual 103-95 setback to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Tobias Harris registered a team-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three steals vs. the Pelicans. He is averaging 21.2 points and 8.4 boards while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor in five games this month.
Kelly Oubre Jr. reached the 20-point plateau for the fourth straight game on Friday. He finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Philadelphia has lost 15 of its past 21 games, including 11 of 17 since reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid sustained a knee injury that later required surgery.
“We’re missing Joel, we missed Tyrese the last couple of games,” 76ers guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think we have time to figure it out. We’ve got to get healthy and get to a position where we can compete.”
Maxey will be out on Sunday along with Embiid, Robert Covington (knee) and De’Anthony Melton (back).
“I’m in super-evaluation mode,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “I want to see who can execute what we’re going to need to execute when we get our people back.”
