Dec. 25 vs. Knicks — The Christmas Day victory
The Sixers made the long-awaited return to the Christmas Day slate this season, taking on the Knicks on Dec. 25 for the first time since 2001, the year the team reached the NBA Finals.
Philadelphia came into the game on a five-game losing streak and was playing some of its worst basketball of the season. But Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick made sure that even a ridiculous performance by Enes Kanter wouldn’t stand in the way of the Sixers notching a much-needed win inside Madison Square Garden.
Embiid finished with a game-high 25 points and 16 rebounds, while Redick chipped in 24 points of his own on 4-8 shooting from 3-point range. The duo was clearly the Sixers’ best options on the day as they both finished +25 and were the only two starters with a positive plus-minus.
T.J. McConnell provided a big spark off the bench on a night in which Ben Simmons was not at his best, finishing with 15 points, 5 rebounds and four assists off the bench. He was the catalyst on the run the Sixers went on to take the lead late in the third and early in the fourth quarter.
While the Knicks hung around all game long, it was Embiid who provided the dagger with just under 2:30 remaining.
With the Sixers up five and less than four seconds remaining on the shot clock, Embiid rolled off an excellent screen from Redick to drill a 3-pointer off an out-of-bounds play to seal the victory.