A Knicks timeout is forced by a tip-in basket by the player. It was 0: 30.
After his tip-in gave the Philadelphia 76ers a 14-point lead with under five minutes left in the game, the star center stretched his arms out over his head and was booed by the crowd.
Philadelphia celebrated a triumphant return to the NBA's Christmas Day schedule after a one-year hiatus with a 119- 112 victory over the Houston Astros thanks to dominant performances from Embiid and Harden.
"I feel good," he said. Being here is a blessing. A lot of guys don't get these opportunities.
Not many teams have a pair of guys like Harden and Embiid.
The first of five games on the marquee day of the regular season was a reminder of how star power can make a difference. The 76ers lost their first game of the season, but have since won eight in a row, thanks in large part to the emergence of Harden and Embiid.
Doc Rivers said before the game that he hoped his team could adjust well to the noon start time. The first quarter was dominated by the Knicks, led by Julius Randle, who scored 25 of his 35 points.
"You don't know how the games are going to start," Rivers said. They had all the energy and killed us on the glass in the first quarter. They were quicker to everything.
The 76ers trailed by three at the half, thanks in part to a half-court heave by Shake Milton.
Carmelo Anthony and Bernard King sat side-by-side on the baseline opposite Philadelphia's bench and watched the proceedings as the 76ers battled back from a 19-point deficit.
Rivers said that it was the difference. It was the second half. I really thought that the game changed whenJoel came out in the second quarter and was aggressive. The tone of the game was changed.
After falling behind by as many as 14 in the first half, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to get back in the game with the help of a big second quarter from Embiid.
Then it was Harden's turn to take over in the fourth, as he and Niang got into a rhythm in a two-man game in which Harden racked up six points and five assists while Niang hit four triples.
Harden said they found something. We tried to get the best shot after finding something we like.
I told George to take his time and get used to it. He made one and two and that opened up the game for us.
It feels like a long time ago. The 76ers have been the NBA's second-best defensive team and third-best net rating since the beginning of the season. Philadelphia is two games behind the East leader and one back of second place regardless of the outcome of the Celtics and Bucks game on Sunday.
Harden said that they were getting there. We have to take it one game at a time and keep improving. We're hitting strides and getting better on both ends of the ball, which as the season goes on, we're definitely heading in the right direction, and we're going to be a very difficult team to beat.
Since mid-November, Maxey has been out with a foot injury, but he could be back soon. The Knicks guard left the game in the second half with an injured hip.
After the game, New York did not reveal the nature of the injury that caused it.
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