Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives against New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo, AP)
It was great while it lasted.
Evan Fournier got an unexpected chance and ran with it Sunday evening, sending a reminder of his shooting prowess while helping the Knicks launch an impressive comeback and beat the red-hot 76ers, 108-97.
But Fournier is under no illusion of returning to the rotation.
“It was like a fun one-night stand,” Fournier said. “I think (coach Tom Thibodeau) is set on his nine-man rotation.”
Fournier’s opportunity arose last-second because of RJ Barrett’s illness, as the Frenchman didn’t know he’d be the backup shooting guard until the pregame anthem. Then the Knicks trailed by 21 points within 10 minutes, requiring the unlikely combination of their biggest comeback of the season and a season-high 17 points from Fournier.
The veteran knocked down 5 of his 8 attempts from beyond the arc, and received a nice ovation from the Garden crowd after fouling out with under 2 minutes remaining. It was more poignant because, with the trade deadline approaching this week, Fournier may have played his final game at MSG as a Knick.
“Actually, it was kind of messed up because I didn’t get to enjoy (the ovation) because I was upset about the foul that was not a foul,” said Fournier, whose 24 minutes was the most he played since October. “I wish I could go back to enjoy it. That was fun. That’s why I love New York. They talk sh— but they give you love as well.”
The Knicks (28-25) proved resilient during a difficult stretch in their schedule, defeating four of the top teams in the Eastern Conference over the last two weeks (they also beat the Heat, Cavs and Celtics).
The Sixers (32-18) are surging but sputtered in the fourth quarter while failing to score 100 points for just the fourth time this season.
“Philadelphia has been playing as well as anyone in the league,” Thibodeau said. “So we knew we had a big test for us and we started off, got in a hole. I thought our bench came in, they gave us a big lift. And then when the starters came back, they were terrific. It was just a good team win all the way around.”
Joel Embiid was predictably a handful while scoring 31 points — including 18 from the foul line. But no other Philadelphia starter managed over 14 points, including James Harden, who was stifled by Deuce McBride.
Julius Randle scored 24 points and Brunson added 21.
Barrett’s absence was interesting timing. Over three games in the last week, he was benched in crunch time and panned by MSG Network analyst Clyde Frazier for his shoddy defense.
“Barrett has the distinction of being the Knicks’ worst defender, folks,” Frazier said on the Saturday night broadcast. “They have all these stats now and he’s the worst guy.”
Thibodeau predictably backed his 22-year-old wing by saying his individual defensive rating is “meaningless.” But then the Knicks put together one of their best efforts of the season.
“We’ve been playing really well offensively. But I thought our defense tonight was probably the difference,” Thibodeau said.
Durable throughout his career, Barrett has now missed seven of the last 20 games. He didn’t make it to the bench on Sunday.
“He went through the walkthrough and in the pregame just started feeling ill,” Thibodeau said. “Nothing you can do about it. It’s the time of the year where guys are getting sick.”
Since it’s Super Bowl time and Philadelphia fans travel well to MSG, the game was littered with ‘E-A-G-L-E-S’ chants. But then the score flipped in the fourth quarter, and the New Yorkers had the final say.
“Eagles suck,” was the last chant on Sunday.
()
Originally published at Tribune News Service