Jose Alvarado made eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points as the visiting New York Knicks rolled to a 138-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in both teams’ final game before the All-Star break.
Mikal Bridges added 22 points for New York, which led by as many as 52 in closing the first half of the season with its 10th win in 12 games. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks.
With Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (suspension) sitting out, Tyrese Maxey was the lone star on the court for Philadelphia. He scored 32 points, while VJ Edgecombe added 14 and Dominick Barlow contributed 13 for the Sixers, who fell to 1-3 in their last four games.
New York shot 62.5% in the first quarter, led by Bridges’ 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. They held a 12-point lead after Bridges’ dunk 3:20 into the game and led by double digits for most of the contest.
Towns’ 3-pointer early in the second quarter gave New York its first 20-point advantage. After a bucket by Edgecombe, the Knicks tacked on nine more points — capped by Alvarado’s 3-pointer — to go in front 59-32.
Soon after, the Knicks finished the half on an 11-3 run to go into the locker room with a commanding 72-42 lead. Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer in the final minute put an exclamation point on the dominant first half.
The Sixers fought back in the third quarter, cutting their deficit to 88-66 with 3:28 to play. However, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson and Alvarado combined for all 16 of New York’s points down the stretch as the visitors carried a 104-71 lead into the fourth.
The Knicks went on a 10-0 run early in the final period to open a 114-73 margin. Alvarado was the star of that sequence with a trio of 3-pointers. His triple with 7:41 left gave the Knicks a 122-77 lead before Tyler Kolek’s 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining made it 129-77.
