PHILADELPHIA — Facing a well-rested and disappointing opponent, the Knicks reversed a fourth-quarter woes and defeated the Sixers 111-99 on Tuesday night.
Tom Thibodeau started the rotation for the Knicks, and Karl-Anthony Towns outplayed longtime foe Joel Embiid in the final 12 minutes for a dominant victory.
OG Anunoby scored 24 points and provided a highlight that deflated Philadelphia fans with a surging dunk early in the fourth quarter and energized Knicks fans on the road.
Josh Hart had a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Knicks (5-5) had a balanced attack with their top six (starters and Miles McBride) all scoring at least 14 points despite Jalen Brunson being off.
More impressively, they held the Sixers to under 100 points on 37 percent shooting, rebounding from their defensive sloppiness in Indy two days earlier.
It certainly ended in the Knicks' favor, but the night ended in a short, scary stretch on the first possession of the second half.
Brunson stepped on the foot of defender Caleb Martin and fell near the center of the court, clutching his right ankle in pain. The point guard ran to the locker room and missed the next seven minutes of the game.
He returned and scored 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Coach Thibodeau received reinforcements and made adjustments.
After playing a tight rotation in close games, the coach added Matt Ryan to increase the roster from eight to nine players.
Cam Payne also returned from missing four games with a hamstring strain and scored three points in nine minutes.
Ryan was scoreless for nine minutes.
If part of the goal of expanding the rotation was to conserve the starters' energy in the fourth quarter, it appeared to be working.
The Knicks, who trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter this season, started the final period on an 11-0 run on Tuesday and never looked back.
By the low standards of the NBA regular season, Tuesday night had the feel of a big game.
First, it doubled as the NBA Cup opener, and the courts were excessively blue in honor of Adam Silver's founding.
Second, this was Embiid's season debut. Embiid was so unavailable that he had just finished a three-game suspension for shoving a reporter.
Third, it was the first meeting between the I-95 rivals since a tight playoff series dominated by the Knicks last season.
Both teams underwent dramatic changes over the summer, with Philadelphia signing Paul George and Caleb Martin. And the Knicks landed Towns and Mikal Bridges.
“Obviously both teams have changed a lot since the playoffs,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “And they added two guys that can really play. Those guys are both really good players. They both have perimeter games so you have to be careful. I think we'll have to take a look. Masu.
“In the playoffs last year, they were almost exclusively against Brunson. They could definitely take Brunson. [on Tuesday]but obviously going to get some shots at KAT. And they're doing a pretty good job of spreading that around. OG has his moments too, and it goes through him a little bit. They are much more balanced and try to be more boundary-oriented. Must see. ”
Embiid scored 13 points on 2-of-11 shooting for 26 minutes, Nurse said.
He helped Towns beat Embiid, grabbing 13 boards and scoring six assists and 21 points.
He watched as Philadelphia's starting backcourt, minus the injured Tyrese Maxey, combined for 2-of-11 shooting.
Nurse believes his Sixers (2-8) will remain tied with Milwaukee as the East's biggest disappointments.
The Knicks took advantage with solid defense and a big fourth quarter.
