James Harden never got a chance to dance much on the Knicks’ grave when he was in Brooklyn, but he seemed to take great delight in doing so in a Sixers’ jersey in Sunday’s Garden matinee.
The Knicks’ season has turned into a train wreck as Harden and center Joel Embiid did whatever they wanted before a large contingent of Sixers fans that chanted “MVP” when the superstar center was at the free-throw line.
The dynamic new pair hooked up on the fast break often as Embiid finished with 37 points and Harden 29 points and 16 assists as the Sixers rolled, 125-109. Harden could be seen celebrating with vigor after some of Embiid’s hoops off his dishes.
“It felt like were in Philly,” Harden said.
It also felt like the Knicks’ season is dead. They played an 11-turnover first half, rallied, then folded per usual midway through the fourth quarter, outscored 19-4 to close.
Afterward Evan Fournier made some damning statements.
“I feel like sometimes we’re looking at each other, second-guessing what play we’re going to run, who we’re going to go to,” said Fournier, a bright spot with 24 points. “What is he going to do? We have no expectations right now from each other because we have no rhythm and no confidence in the fourth quarter. So again, as long as we don’t fix that as players, things are not going to change.”
The Knicks battled for a while as backup point guard Immanuel Quickley led a second-half surge that gave them a one-point lead early in the fourth before they flamed out. Quickley finished with 21 points on 5 of 13 shooting and was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
It was the Knicks’ fifth straight loss and they are 3-15 in their past 18. In falling 11 games under .500 at 25-36, the Knicks are looking at a death march to their eighth lottery appearance in nine years.
“We just got to figure it out,” Mitchell Robinson said. “We’ve been talking. If something is working for us, go back to the same thing. But every time we have changes. We got to find out what works for us and stick to it.”
Robinson and Jericho Sims each fouled out attempting to stop Embiid. (The Knicks are shifting to a developmental movement and Thibodeau didn’t play Taj Gibson or Nerlens Noel, who was available but not 100 percent because of plantar fasciitis.)
Embiid attempted 27 free throws and Robinson took ownership.
“I should’ve known it from last time to come in more aggressive, especially at the Garden,” he said. “This is the MVP, right? I should’ve been more focused and ready to play. He did what he had to do and I should’ve played better.”
Off his 46-point night Friday in a loss to the Heat, RJ Barrett tried to do too much early. He finished with 24 points and four turnovers, shooting just 9 of 22, 6 of 10 on free throws. Julius Randle had another off day (16 points, 4 of 13).
A Randle missed 3 midway through the fourth led to a picture-perfect fast break as Harden led Embiid for a monstrous slam. The game plan to stop Harden-Embiid didn’t work and they get another chance Wednesday at Philadelphia.
Thibodeau admitted the game was called close (fouls) and that likely benefitted the Sixers.
“When you have two dynamic players like that, it puts a lot of pressure on you,” Thibodeau said. “If you’re generating speed and there’s contact — some games it’s marginal contact it’s not a foul. Some other games, it is. That’s where you have adjust.”
The Knicks fell behind 75-64 with 8:08 left in the third after Randle’s pass was intercepted by Matisse Thybulle, who fed Tyrese Maxey for a fast-break layup.
But the Knicks scratched and clawed — with Quickley the top pest — and trailed just 91-89 after three. After Barrett drove in for a layup, Quickley stole the inbounds, dribbled to the 3-point line and nailed it to bring the Knicks with one point with 1:16 left in the third. But there were few Knicks highlights thereafter.
“The fourth quarter is different,” Fournier said. “That’s the time to really execute our best stuff and go to our best players. Yeah man, it’s frustrating, because we are not far at all. We should be winning these games. it’s frustrating. Very frustrating.”
