Philadelphia 76ers 98, New York Knicks 93: a 29-21 first quarter holds up

The Knicks spent Friday night chasing a deficit they built in the first 12 minutes. The 76ers took the opening quarter 29-21, and the rest of the game played out almost evenly. New York's largest lead was a single point. Philadelphia's was 14.

The loss drops the Knicks to 2-4. It is also their second loss to Philadelphia in six games, after a 106-100 defeat at the Garden. The details are on the game page.

How it was won

The first quarter was the game. Philadelphia scored 29 and led by eight, and the margin barely moved after that. The second quarter went 24-23 to the 76ers for a 53-44 halftime lead. The third was 24-24, leaving it 77-68 going into the fourth.

New York won the fourth 25-21. That closed the gap to five, but it was not enough to get back in front.

The box score shows a team that got more chances and did less with them. The Knicks outrebounded Philadelphia 45-39 and took 86 shots to the 76ers' 75. Turnovers were close, 13 for New York and 14 for Philadelphia. The Knicks lost on accuracy. They shot 35-of-86, 41 percent, against Philadelphia's 37-of-75, 49 percent.

Three-point shooting was the biggest gap. New York went 13-of-41. Philadelphia went 12-of-34. The 76ers made one fewer three on seven fewer attempts. The free throw line made little difference: 10-of-14 for New York, 12-of-16 for Philadelphia. Paint scoring was close as well, 36-34 to the home side.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points and 6 assists but made 3 of 10 threes. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 12 rebounds and went 3-of-7 from deep. Mikal Bridges added 12 points on 2-of-4 from three. Outside those three, the Knicks went 5-of-20 from three.

For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey scored 27. Anfernee Simons had 21 and made 5 of 8 threes, the most efficient shooting of the night on either side. LeBron James finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, and Philadelphia had 26 assists to New York's 23.

Against the number

The Knicks closed as 3.5-point favorites. They lost by five, so Philadelphia covered. The 76ers also won outright at +130, with New York closing at -155 on the moneyline.

The total closed at 224.5. The teams scored 191 combined, finishing 33.5 points under. Neither side reached 100. New York has now gone under 105 in four of its six games, all four of them losses.

The market had the Knicks as the better team on the road. The shooting did not support that, and a road favorite that never led by more than one point is a difficult position for anyone holding New York on the spread.

What's next

The Knicks return home on Monday, November 2, to face the Nets. The game airs on NBA League Pass, DAZN and YES. New York has won two of its last three after starting 0-3, including a 133-127 win at Chicago. A home game against Brooklyn is a chance to get back to .500 before the schedule gets harder.

Philadelphia moves to 5-1 with two wins over the Knicks already. The 76ers' next opponent and date were not available to us at publication. Their team page will have the schedule and the price once it posts.