Late in the third quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns’ wild shot got stuck behind the basket after he was fouled by Andre Drummond. In what was a microcosm of the game as a whole, Drummond repeatedly failed to dislodge the ball with a mop handle and Towns succeeded easily.
The New York Knicks outscored the Philadelphia 76ers in the paint, 56-30, on their way to a 108-102 victory. With Philly’s Joel Embiid out, the Knicks took advantage inside and overcame their own ugly three-point shooting night.
New York Knicks exploited Philadelphia 76ers reserve big men
The Knicks shot only 7-for-26 on three-pointers but made up for it by making 62.3 percent of their twos. OG Anunoby scored 12 of his 24 points on dunks and layups, while Mikal Bridges shot 9-for-11 on two-pointers, scoring eight of his 18 points at the rim.
It was tough for Drummond, a solid backup center who doesn’t provide the same rim protection or mobility as Embiid. The Knicks challenged Drummond and Aden Bona repeatedly on drives. While Bona grabbed six offensive rebounds and blocked two shots, Towns hurt the Sixers bigs with 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting, adding 10 boards and seven assists.
He also got to the foul line for nine free throws, getting Drummond and Bona into foul trouble and causing the 76ers to play small with 6-foot-9 Dominick Barlow at center for much of the fourth quarter. Drummond’s fourth foul came just before the stuck ball, and his frustration was apparent in his efforts to knock it loose.