76ers Return to Madison Square Garden | Gameday Report 52/82

The 76ers (34-17) continue to roll - having won 22 of their last 27 games and nine of their last 10.

Next up: A Sunday visit to Madison Square Garden.

The Sixers and Knicks (28-26) last met on Christmas Day, when the Sixers took a dramatic 119-112 win home for the holidays.

Joel Embiid led the way in that matchup, finishing with 35 points and eight rebounds. James Harden added 29 points, four rebounds, 13 assists, and four steals.

Julius Randle was New York’s leading scorer on Christmas Day, scoring 35 points of his own, plus eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.

The Sixers have continued building since, most recently notching a 137-125 victory - their eighth straight road win - over the San Antonio Spurs (14-39) Friday in San Antonio.

Embiid also led the way in that matchup, notching a 33-point, 10-rebound double-double, plus four assists and two steals.

The bench excelled in the win, out-scoring the Spurs’ reserves, 67-42, and fueled by Tyrese Maxey’s 25-point, three-rebound, four-assist outing.

“[The bench was] good, and we need it,” Embiid said postgame. “Obviously it’s always a plus if you can get that type of contribution from the bench, so we just need to keep on going.”

Embiid praised Maxey’s assertiveness and control over his unit as well:

“Tyrese is being aggressive, looking for his shot. Obviously him coming off the bench, you want him to look for his shot, and be that spark off the bench.”

In turn, Maxey praised the team’s other bench players, starting with his continued chemistry with Shake Milton (14 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl):

“It’s easy when you have a guy like Shake, who can play on the ball, off the ball, who’s unselfish, and knows how to play the right way.” Maxey said. “You have multiple guys in that lineup with Georges, Montrezl, Matisse, [Danuel] House, sometimes the big fella plays with us as well. Everybody knows how to play the right way - if we can get stops, we can be extremely dangerous.”

Embiid (left foot soreness) is questionable for Sunday’s matchup.

The Knicks will be facing the second half of a back-to-back Sunday, after falling to the Clippers, 134-128, in overtime 

Sunday’s matchup is a 6:00 p.m. ET start.

Embiid, on Harden’s (16 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast) continued impact on the team’s success:

“James is our point guard. Everything runs through him. He gets guys easy shots. As a playmaker, I don’t think there’s anybody better in the league, as far as getting guys wide open shots and running our offense.”

Georges Niang on Friday: 13 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST / 5-8 fg / 3-5 3fg

Watch: ESPN / NBC Sports Philadelphia

Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic