The Philadelphia 76ers needed a little bit extra from their bench, and Shake Milton stepped up to top the New York Knicks.
Coming into tonight’s game, Ben Simmons was undefeated against the New York Knicks, going an astounding 13-0. Thanks to Shake Milton, that streak improved to 14-0 as the Sixers won in an overtime thriller by a final score of 101-100.
Nothing came easy tonight as the team lumbered through the second game of their third back-to-back since the All-Star game. It was also a struggle without the team’s star Joel Embiid, but the team powered through en route to their second straight victory (8-2 in their last 10).
This game marked the first of a six-game road-trip, so the fight is far from over, but for tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers can exhale and feel good about their performance.
Philadelphia 76ers Player Of The Game – Shake Milton/Danny Green
Shake Milton and Danny Green are the Philadelphia 76ers players of the game. Shake did the heavy lifting early on, and Green took it from there. The Sixers‘ sixth-man finished with a team-high 21 points on 9-15 shooting. It’s an encouraging sign to see the young sixth-man put in back-to-back quality games.
It’s nice to see Milton get back to having fun and scoring with ease, and while it wasn’t enough to seal the game for the Sixers, it was a moral victory for a team in need of a pick-me-up. The Sixers will need more and more performances like this from Milton if they’re going to make a deep playoff run.
Danny Green meanwhile closed out the game for the Sixers, hitting a clutch floater near the end of the fourth quarter and two clutch threes in overtime. The Sixers‘ vet struggled offensively throughout the game, but when it mattered most, he made the difference.
Up Next
The Sixers will have a night off and return to action Tuesday night against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. It will be a late-night for anyone on the east coast as the team will tip-off the action at 10:00 PM EST.
Once again, without Joel Embiid, it will be a tough game for the Sixers, but under the leadership of Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, they certainly have a fighting chance.
