76ers 120, Knicks 97: Scenes from a sleepy scrimmage

Real fans watch preseason games, these half-hearted scrimmages in which stars tend to lollygag, and the guys fighting for roster or rotation consideration tend to play as you’d expect—like guys trying to secure seats at the southern reach of the bench. Bandwagoners and parade crashers don’t tune in for this slop. Real fans do, cuz a Knicks game is a Knicks game. We even watch summer league!

After a short summer respite, the World Champion Knickerbockers and your loyal P&T blogger were all feeling rusty. From the start of tonight’s 120-97 loss to the Sixers, the champs continued to show their penchant for the long ball, heaving more than half their shots from the outfield. Both teams converted 33% from deep through the first 12 minutes, and here’s some good news: Finals MVP Jalen Brunson’s surgically repaired wrist had a familiar sweet snap as he drilled two three-pointers.

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The guests took an early lead, but Philly answered with a 14-3 stretch through the heart of the quarter. Seeing former Celtic Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia blue boggled the brain for a moment. He carried his unit with LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey taking the night off (chickens), and the new Sixer collected 13 early points. Meanwhile, Brunson and OG (The Tipmeister) Anunoby scored eight points apiece for our heroes.

Former Knick Ariel Hukporti started the game, but exited early with an injury after facing up with Karl-Anthony Towns. He was assisted to the locker room, and it had the hallmarks of an Achilles tear. If that turns out to be the case, it’s a devastating blow to a likable guy who stood to get significant playing time this season.

On the subject of Towns, he attacked the paint and looked not a bit sour about his contract situation. Behind him, Andre Drummond played his first (unofficial) game as a Knick and was exactly the same Drummond he’s always been.

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As the quarter went on, Tyler Kolek (with longer locks) assumed ball-handling duties. He seemed to have a mandate to score and forced it a little. Due to an absence of defense on either side, the teams swapped buckets like high-schoolers on…

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Publish date : 2026-10-06 01:46:00

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