Evan Fournier plays unlikely hero in Knicks’ big-time win over Sixers
Following a disastrous overtime loss to the Clippers on Saturday, the Knicks were in dire need of a bounce-back win on national television and they got it, taking down the 76ers, 108-97. This victory brings the Knicks just one win and one Heat loss away from finally claiming the sixth seed in the East and getting out of play-in tournament range.
At first, it seemed like this would be another tough loss following a big run by Philadelphia in the first quarter that found New York down 20 at one point. Despite this, the Knicks fought back and were able to go on and win the game without RJ Barrett.
The best part about this game wasn’t even the win, it was the fact that Evan Fournier – a player who had mostly been out of the rotation – dominated Philly and was a huge part of New York’s comeback.
Knicks’ Evan Fournier surprises everyone with his performance against the 76ers
This is just the 21st game in which Fournier has made an appearance and he finally did something good for the Knicks, dropping 17 points, one assist, and one steal in 22 minutes of play all while shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from downtown.
Fournier provided a much-needed spark for a bench that has really struggled at times this season. While he likely won’t remain in the rotation and could be traded before the Feb. 9 deadline, it was nice to see him finally contribute this season.
This game from Fournier was only made possible due to Barrett’s illness which kept him from playing. It originally seemed like Barrett would be good to play, but just a couple of minutes before tip-off, the Knicks announced that he was doubtful for the game, thus giving fans the Fournier masterclass we didn’t know we needed.
Alongside Fournier, both Miles McBride and Isaiah Hartenstein had huge games off the bench and helped power the Knicks to their massive comeback. While Hartenstein scored just two points, he grabbed 14 rebounds and played some incredibly solid defense on Joel Embiid despite being in foul trouble.
As for McBride, he tied his season-high 14 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from three. While the efficiency may not have been pretty, his defense, combined with a big-time three to put the Knicks up eight with 3:33 remaining, was precisely what they needed to win this game.
While the bench was the main point of emphasis from the win, some members of the starting lineup were huge in the Knicks’ comeback win. This includes Julius Randle, who despite struggling early on in the game, came up big with some huge buckets down the stretch.
Randle dropped 24 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, shooting 8-of-19 from the field and 1-of-8 from three. While the efficiency certainly wasn’t there, at least Randle made up for it with his clutch buckets.
With the Knicks set to play the Magic on Tuesday night, this is a perfect opportunity for New York to steal the sixth seed. Hopefully, the Knicks don’t get overly confident and fall into a trap because despite their record, this Magic team is not one to mess around with.
