76ers vs. Knicks: Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson duel in overtime showdown

The current injury saga around Joel Embiid is only the latest of several from just this season. His left foot sprain has now sidelined him for six consecutive games. The Knicks were without their own star center, Karl-Anthony Towns. A top-heavy team becomes much weaker when one of the top guys isn’t there, as the 76ers know all too well.

The crowd at the Wells Fargo Center was a bit different than it was in the first round of last year's postseason: the building was emptier than it was earlier in the season and in the playoffs, though New York fans still showed out. This game was also close at the finish just like the playoffs, but it wasn’t that way for much of the evening.

Maxey and George return

Embiid sat out again and Nick Nurse again said it was a day-to-day issue. To now miss almost two weeks with a day-to-day injury is a peculiar occurrence that fits the bill pretty well for the 76ers. Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George bounced back into the starting lineup after a single-game absence.

Maxey was guarded by Mikal Bridges while George drew OG Anunoby. Both of them benefitted from the spacing and quick passing of Guerschon Yabusele, who single-handedly gave them some kind of structure on offense. But it didn’t automatically make them elite, as the Sixers still shot very poorly.

George drew a pair of fouls on jumpers, one of which was on a made three-pointer, and an aggressive drive to the hoop. He didn’t shoot well from the field but was aggressive and took care of business from the foul line early on. Maxey wasn’t able to pressure the defense the same way, only replicating the poor-field-goal-shooting part of PG's night through the first half.

The 76ers got Maxey going by having him get out in transition early. The guy's fast and the Knicks just couldn’t make up ground in the foot race. Getting a few easy ones to fall boosted his confidence. Although his self-created jumper is still inconsistent, he showed he can be effective as a downhill threat.

Five straight points from Maxey drew the 76ers to within one point in crunch time. He assisted Justin Edwards, who continues to establish himself as a potential NBA-level player, on a game-tying triple. Maxey perfectly poked the ball away from Brunson from behind, giving the Sixers a chance at one more possession with seven seconds left. He tied the game up by blowing right past Precious Achiuwa. More shades of the playoffs appeared as Maxey took it right to the Knicks.

Although falling into these holes shows the 76ers weaknesses, these flashes of brilliance show why people still can’t surrender all of their belief in this team. Maxey ended his night with 33 points, six rebounds and six assists on 13-32 shooting.

Trying to contain Jalen Brunson 

The 76ers let the Brunson burner torch them in last year's playoffs. Just like those playoffs, he was without his co-star and scoring threat. Jericho Sims starting made things much easier for Philly, though it still left them with the challenge of guarding Brunson.

Maxey started out on Brunson, though the Sixers were content to switch on and off the ball to stay in front of him, and picked up a quick foul reaching in. Less than three minutes into the game, Maxey got whistled for a second foul after picking up Bridges on a switch and Nick Nurse burned his challenge, leaving the star guard with two fouls and his team without a challenge for the remaining 45 minutes.

Brunson's playmaking flashed early on before he unleashed his herky-jerky, two-foot mastery to score a few floaters. His nine early points complemented some great off-ball scoring from Bridges and Josh Hart's tormenting of the 76ers expected in transition. These guys know a thing or two about playing good basketball in this area.

Even when Brunson hit the bench to start the second quarter, the Knicks punctured the 76ers' defense with constant motion and a barrage of treys. Miles McBride, who has seemingly taken a liking to the WFC given his elite shooting splits there, chipped in with some big shots to the sound of “Deuuuuuuce!” He proved his affection for playing in Philly by getting an insane roll on a fourth-quarter triple.

The 76ers gave Edwards a shot at Brunson, using the long, athletic rookie to disrupt his rhythm. George took on the assignment in overtime. Plenty of Sixers got a chance at Brunson. But he gave everyone the business at some point, uncorking floaters and midrange buckets on his way to 38 points on 14-22 shooting.

While Brunson did his thing, Hart picking the 76ers' defense apart piece by piece can’t be overlooked. His nonstop motion around the court, even in halfcourt possesions, made him a pain to cover and required top-notch attention away from the ball. He notched his fifth triple-double of the season and led the game in rebounds (16) and assists (12).

A third-quarter team?

The 76ers need to embrace the role of the plucky, scrappy underdog in their Embiid-less games. While they should be above it, they are not — and it's the best they can do.

They did so in their game yesterday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, keeping it close for a good portion of the second half. The script stayed in place against the Knicks, who squandered their 13-point halftime lead in the third quarter. Jeff Dowtin Jr. banked in a three to knot the game before the final 12 minutes.

In the first half, the Knicks just pushed the pace every time they had numbers. Typically a slower, more methodical team like the Sixers, they’re also well aware of when points are easiest to come by. They knew what they were doing by getting up the floor quickly against one of the absolute worst transition defenses in the NBA.

Another one of New York's strengths that was on full display is how well they take care of the ball. The 76ers' M.O. on defense is forcing turnovers but didn’t really start doing it at the level they’re accustomed to until the third quarter. Once they did, it was off to the races. Through takeaways and deflected passes, they threw the Knicks off their game.

Sims pretty much gave the 76ers an additional player on the court. His foul trouble, bad hands and overall poor awareness made him an easy target on defense. The Sixers' third-quarter comeback was almost exclusively a parade of layups and free throws, some of which were the fruits of their labor on defense.

The Knicks gave the Sixers painful flashbacks by dominating the offensive glass, they were knocked off balance after halftime. That's what kept them in the game as momentum escaped their grasp. Even more shades of the playoffs! The more things change…

With New York rebounding a ton of their misses and the Brunson-Hart tandem dominating down the stretch, the 76ers fell behind in the final minutes. A string of spectacular plays from Maxey brought the teams even, pitting them against each other for five more minutes. That overtime period, however, belonged to Brunson, who opened up a driving lane for Anunoby, canned a three-pointer and drew a foul on another. The Knicks never looked back.

On Saturday, the 76ers will begin a brief road trip and continue their stretch of playoff-caliber opponents with a matchup against the Indiana Pacers.