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PHILADELPHIA — The Knicks are already halfway through their season series against the rival 76ers and look like they have a lot of ground to make up.
Especially if the captain can’t convert in the clutch.
For the second time in less than two weeks, the 76ers beat the Knicks by winning the final minutes, with Jalen Brunson coming up small when it mattered most.
The point guard, who was coming off a 38-point masterpiece two nights prior in Chicago, shot 1-for-5 in the final six-plus minutes. He also missed a critical free throw with 32 seconds remaining, setting up an alley-oop from Tyrese Maxey to LeBron James to seal Philadelphia’s 98-93 victory Friday night.
James was the hero with 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and the two biggest plays on the night. In addition to the alley-oop lay-in, he knocked down a fadeaway over OG Anunoby with 1:10 left to give Philly the lead for good.
He was aided by Maxey, who dropped a game-high 27 points in 38 minutes. Brunson shot 8-for-22 with 24 points and six assists. Karl-Anthony Towns represented New York’s most productive option, scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting from the field.
The Knicks started slowly and inefficiently, managing just 21 points in the first quarter while shooting 41 percent with zero free throws.
They trailed by double digits after 10 minutes.
The second quarter wasn’t much better and the final play of the half symbolized the offensive malaise: The Knicks failed to get off a shot in a 22-second possession, allowing the buzzer to go off with the ball in Brunson’s hands.
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They hit the break with a 53-44 deficit and just four free-throw attempts. But then Brunson was activated in the third quarter, Towns got hot in the beginning of the fourth and the Knicks were down by only five points with six minutes remaining.
It was set up for a comeback. But the Knicks couldn’t make it happen.
Friday was the start of the Knicks’ defense of their NBA Cup championship, with the loss meaning they’ll probably need to win the remaining three group games to advance.
