The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 15-11 in 2025-26 by beating the New York Knicks 116-107 at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The Knicks, the NBA Cup champions, came into this contest on a seven-game win streak but fell apart in the closing stages on the second night of a back-to-back.
Tyrese Maxey proved to be too much to handle for the Knicks, as he finished with 30 points (11-24 FG), two rebounds, nine assists, and one steal. Rookie VJ Edgecome shone as well, recording 23 points (10-18 FG), three rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid here because of an illness and right knee injury management, and the two electrifying guards ensured his absence wasn’t felt.
The Knicks were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who put up 22 points (7-15 FG), 11 rebounds, and one assist. Jalen Brunson also had 22 points (7-22 FG), six rebounds, and nine assists, but went 0-5 from the field in the fourth quarter.
Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson each racked up 21 points as well, but it wasn’t enough. The Knicks have now dropped to 19-8 on the season, and here’s a look at how the 76ers managed to pull off the upset.
VJ Edgecombe Takes Over In The Clutch
While Maxey was the 76ers’ leading scorer on the night and in the fourth quarter (11 points), it was Edgecombe who took over down the stretch to get the team across the finish line. With the visitors clinging to a 103-100 lead with four minutes remaining, the Bahamian put on a show.
Edgecombe made back-to-back jumpers to push the lead to 108-102 and later slammed in a putback dunk after a Maxey miss to put the 76ers up eight. The Knicks still weren’t going away, but the rookie finally broke their backs with a huge hustle play in the final minute.
Edgecombe dove to the ground to secure his second offensive rebound down the stretch, and the ball would eventually find its way to an open Maxey. The one-time All-Star had missed his last three shots but drilled a three-pointer to put the game to bed.
You wouldn’t have thought we would be talking so glowingly of Edgecombe postgame when he had just five points (2-8 FG) at halftime. The 20-year-old showed a lot of poise by shrugging off that slow start.
76ers Win The Three-Point Battle
The three-pointer can often play a big role in determining the outcome of a game, and that was the case here as well. The 76ers were red-hot from beyond the arc, while the Knicks were not.
The 76ers shot 17-41 (41.5%) from three on the night. Maxey did much of the damage from distance, going 6-12, while Edgecombe was 3-6. These two got help from somewhat of an unlikely source, too.
Center Andre Drummond went 3-4 from three against the Knicks. Drummond, who has been showing off his range this season, had never made more than two threes in a game in his career. He chose a good time to set a new career-high.
As for the Knicks, Mikal Bridges was the only one who shot the three well, going 3-7. Brunson was 1-7, Towns was 1-5, and OG Anunoby was 0-4. You’re not going to win too many games when so many of your key players can’t get going from beyond the arc.
Knicks Commit One Too Many Turnovers
It’s important when you’re not shooting well that you at least take care of the ball, and the Knicks did not do that here. They committed 18 turnovers, tied for their second-most in a game this season.
The Knicks weren’t able to force the 76ers into coughing it up too many times either, as the visitors had 10 turnovers. To make matters worse, they weren’t able to capitalize on most of the mistakes.
The 76ers had a 16-2 advantage in points off turnovers. The Knicks just weren’t able to make them pay.
If you’re wondering why this game was still close despite all this, the Knicks did have a massive 21-10 advantage in offensive rebounds. They also dominated in the paint with 60 points compared to just 36 for the 76ers, but undid a lot of that good work elsewhere.
