Total Team Effort Propels Knicks to Victory Over Sixers

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Jan. 25, 2008

Riding out to an early 10-point lead, the Knicks looked sharp in beating the Philadelphia 76ers 89-81 on Friday night at Madison Square New York enjoyed a balanced offensive attack with six players scoring nine points or more.

Friday's game was all about runs, as the Knicks kept building leads and then the 76ers kept chipping away at them. New York bent at times, but the Knicks refused to break and led the Sixers for all but 59 seconds of the game.

The Knicks were led by Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford on Friday. Randolph had another double-double, with 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting and an impressive 15 rebounds. Crawford, who found himself playing the off-guard for much of the game, overcame a poor shooting night to contribute 18 points, including several big three-pointers, five assists against only one turnover, and two steals.

David Lee and Nate Robinson also turned in strong performances off the bench for the Knicks on Friday. Lee grabbed six boards and put in 14 points, including a couple of emphatic slams that energized the crowd and his teammates. Robinson continued his strong play in the 2008 calendar, with 13 points and five assists in 27 minutes.

"Nate made some big plays for us. I thought David came in and gave us a lift off the bench also, and Zach was rebounding and scoring," said Knicks President, Basketball Operations, and Head Coach Isiah Thomas. "I was a little worried being off for three or four days … that we might lose our timing and basketball feel … but we came out and had a great first quarter. … Philly had a good game…(Andre) Igoudala was tough for us to guard…but we were able to scratch out the win."

Robinson and Crawford combined to put the game away in the final five minutest. With the 76ers down only by two points, the two Knicks guards took over as New York went on a 7-1 run to close out the game, with all seven points scored by Crawford and Robinson.

Eddy Curry and Quentin Richardson combined for 20 points and eight rebounds, as the Knicks overcame a strong effort from the Sixers rode their own solid ball-movement and stifling defense to the win. New York had 22 assists compared to only 14 for the Sixers in the game, an important statistic for the team.

"If you look at our shot selection … we have good shot distribution, everyone feels part of the game, everyone gets to touch the basketball," Thomas said.

Randolph agreed that better ball movement has been the driving force in many Knicks victories.

"We have to move the ball and get other guys going," Randolph said. "That's what it's all about, moving the ball and making the defense move."

Curry said the entire Knicks team has committed to improving this facet of their game.

"We are caring enough to really share the ball," said Curry.

Moreover, the Knicks played impressive defense in the game's final minutes, holding Philadelphia to only one point in the last five minutes and 35 points in the second half.

"I think our team defense has been getting better all season and I think we showed it tonight," a satisfied Lee said after the game.

Thomas also pointed to the defensive effort as a positive on Friday.

Curry was also impressed with the team's defense, particularly down the stretch:

"We were just all over the place. We used our zone a little bit more," said the Knicks center. "We have been working on that a lot in practice the last couple of days … and when they missed we got the rebound."

The win tonight was particularly important for this Knicks team for a couple of reasons. First, as Lee pointed out after the game, the Sixers had defeated New York twice this season, and the Knicks did not want that streak to continue.

"Everybody contributed tonight and we beat a team that has beaten us twice this year," Lee said.

Richardson pointed to a different reason for the game's importance:

"We needed this one. It's the getaway game," he said, referring to New York's impending road trip. "It's a big win for us."

New York was happy with the win and is confident going into the team's tough West Coast swing, which begins in Golden State on Sunday.

"Road trips keep coming, games keep coming," Curry said. "I am just glad we were able to come here and put on a good show for our fans before we hit the road."

Lee added the team is ready to make a big impression out West.

“We are playing good ball right now we are looking forward to going out and playing some good teams on the road," he said.

Substitutions

First Quarter

David Lee and Nate Robinson in for Eddy Curry and Mardy Collins at 3:30

Second Quarter

Jared Jeffries and Curry in for Quentin Richardson and Zach Randolph at 12:00
Renaldo Balkman in for Jamal Crawford at 11:40
Crawford in for Curry at 10:54
Randolph in for Robinson at 6:05
Curry in for Lee at 4:45
Richardson and Collins in for Balkman and Jeffries at 2:35
Lee, Jeffries and Balkman in for Randolph, Crawford and Curry at 0:02

Third Quarter

Lee in for Randolph at 7:49
Robinson in for Collins at 6:40
Randolph in for Curry at 4:47

Fourth Quarter

Jeffries in for Crawford at 12:00
Crawford in for Richardson at 9:29
Curry in for Lee at 6:49
Richardson in for Jeffries at 5:25
Lee and Jeffries in for Curry and Robinson at 3:11
Robinson in for Jeffries at 2:07
Jeffries in for Lee at 0:57