Knicks Flip Narrative With Fantastic 4th vs. 76ers

This time around, the New York Knicks saved the best for last.

Frequently flummoxed in the fourth quarter amidst a disappointing start to this season, the Knicks ended on a high note in their NBA Cup group play opener on Tuesday night: New York scored the first 14 points at the onset of the period to secure a lead that proved permanent en route to a 111-99 victory over the rival Philadelphia 76ers.

“Our defense sustained throughout the game and in the fourth quarter,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of the final period’s onslaught, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “It’s something to be proud of, something to hang our hat on and build off.”

Tuesday’s metropolitan closer was a stark contrast to its dire predecessor on Sunday in Indianapolis, which saw the Knicks (5-5, 1-0) let up 40 points, including eight three-pointers, in a 132-121 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

This time, New York limited Philadelphia to 8-of-20 shooting (2-of-12 beyond the efforts of Caleb Martin and Jared McCain) and forced four turnovers. Leading scorer OG Anunoby was a perfect 4-of-4 and silenced Wells Fargo Center with a series of showstopping dunks while Jalen Brunson recovered from a painful encounter with Martin to score 10 points while getting to the foul line four times.

Josh Hart, earner of a triple-double in the win, was particularly pleased and took the opportunity to question the disappearance of the Knicks’ doubters amidst the fateful final stretch.

“We started the fourth quarter how we wanted to, built off of it from there,” Hart said in Bondy’s report. “We’re just 10 games into the season. We’ve got all of you all crying about how we look, offensively, defensively. Some people ready to pack the season in, some people saying we lost our identity.

“We don’t listen to it. At the end of the day, we know what we have and it takes some fine-tuning.”

Generating consistency now becomes the Knicks’ next major challenge and there’s an immediate opportunity to gain it: New York tips off a four-game homestand at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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