Philadelphia 76ers 109-89 New York Knicks: Twitter thrown into a frenzy over Joel Embiid's and Ben Simmons' huge nights
The Philadelphia 76ers had a very impressive performance in their road victory over the New York Knicks. Stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were on full display for the 76ers, combining for 42 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and two steals. The Knicks hung around for the first half but were unable to hold off the surging Philadelphia offense for the entire 48 minutes. The 76ers improved to 2-0, and the Knicks fell to 0-2 early in this 2020-21 NBA Season.
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New York Knicks start strong, Philadelphia 76ers answer stronger
The New York Knicks looked great to start the game, with Julius Randle leading the charge in the first quarter. Randle made each of his first four field goal attempts and had a quick 10 points in the first quarter. The Knicks would stay right on pace with the 76ers to start the game, and the quarter finished tied at 27.
R.J. Barrett was a highly anticipated player for the New York Knicks going into this matchup, but started off the game ice cold, missing each of his first nine shots from the field. Barrett would continue to struggle as time went on, and between the defense of Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers' powerful offense, the Knicks had no answer by the end of the game.
Joel Embiid led the Philadelphia 76ers offense all night, scoring 20 points in the first half, and was a big part of a 20-10 run to close out the 2nd quarter. The Sixers led 60-55 at the half and would keep their momentum going for the remainder of the game.
Ben Simmons' defense on R.J. Barrett was one of the biggest stories of the game, with countless tweets flying out in support of Simmons' defensive prowess. Ben Simmons is known as one of the NBA's top defenders, but it is always nice to see it on display. Barrett finished the game with just two made field goals out of 15 attempts.
The Philadelphia 76ers had yet another outstanding offensive performance, but tonight the big focus seemed to be on defense. Allowing only 89 points, which includes only 34 in the entire 2nd half, the Philadelphia defense is showing to be a force this season.
The Philadelphia 76ers next game is on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, December 27th.
The New York Knicks will go on to host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, December 27th in hope for their first win of the season.