On Wednesday night, the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia buzzed with the sounds of “Let’s Go Knicks” chants, and there was a good reason for that. The arena, located just 25 miles from Villanova University, felt almost like a home game for New York. The Knicks’ supporters were cheering loudly, honoring local college legends who had once dominated the college basketball scene at Villanova.
There was another reason for the excitement that night, especially when MVP chants rang out for Jalen Brunson as he stepped to the foul line late in overtime. He had certainly earned them.
Brunson stepped up when it mattered most, making one clutch play after another to prevent what could have been the Knicks’ sixth loss in their last eight games. Instead, he led his team to a gritty 125-119 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brunson was the standout performer, scoring a game-high 38 points on an efficient 14-of-22 shooting. Eight of those points came during overtime, helping the Knicks secure their 27th win of the season.
And just like his days at Villanova, Brunson didn’t do it alone.
Mikal Bridges, also a Villanova alum, added 23 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and shooting 9-of-19 from the field. Meanwhile, Josh Hart notched his fifth triple-double of the season, contributing 10 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, and four steals. Hart is now just three triple-doubles shy of Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s single-season franchise record of eight.
The trio of Villanova players helped seal the victory in overtime. With 1:02 left on the clock, Hart stole the ball from Tyrese Maxey, quickly transitioned the ball, and threw a perfect alley-oop to Bridges, giving the Knicks an 11-point lead.
However, that cushion didn’t last long as the game had been tightly contested throughout.
The Knicks got off to a strong start with a 14-5 run and even built a 16-point lead in the second quarter, driven by Bridges’ four 3-pointers in the first quarter. But the Sixers responded fiercely in the third quarter, outscoring New York 38-25, which set the stage for a dramatic fourth period.
With just 18 seconds left in regulation, the Knicks held a four-point lead, but Maxey wasn’t done. He sank two free throws and then raced down the court to hit a game-tying layup with just three seconds remaining. An attempted game-winning shot by OG Anunoby missed, sending the game into overtime.
“It took a little bit of everything,” Hart said. “We’ve been trying to find it these last couple games. We’ve just gotta go out there and compete. I feel like we did that. Go win the game. That’s the biggest thing. We can’t change anything that happened in the past. We’ve got five minutes to go win this thing.”
And win they did.
In overtime, the Knicks were perfect, making all five of their field goal attempts and hitting all five of their free throws. They showed poise and determination as they closed out the game with impressive precision.
This victory was especially important considering they were missing Karl-Anthony Towns, who sat out with a sprained right thumb after the Knicks’ loss to Detroit on Monday. The 76ers were also without a key player, MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who missed the game due to a foot injury.
Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points on 13-of-32 shooting, while Paul George added 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting.
The Knicks also received surprising contributions from their bench, which outscored the Sixers’ reserves for only the fourth time this season. Miles McBride provided 13 points, and Precious Achiuwa added 10, giving New York the depth it has needed.
Looking ahead, the Knicks now focus on their next game on Friday when former teammates Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo return to Madison Square Garden as members of the Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be another important challenge for a team that is fighting to stay in the playoff race.
For now, though, the Knicks can enjoy this hard-earned win, a victory that was powered by Villanova pride and Brunson’s outstanding performance. They’ll need more of both to keep improving and to overcome recent struggles against some of the NBA’s best teams.
