Knicks fight back to force OT, then cave in to 76ers

After experiencing the frights and terrors of the road during a two-game losing streak to open the season, the Knicks hoped that a lineup change and a home opener at Madison Square Garden would spark something positive. Instead, the losing continued and the Knicks faced another horror show on Halloween night. In a game that looked more like an old-time Western Conference shootout than an Eastern Conference grind-out, the Philadelphia 76ers downed the Knicks, 141-127 in overtime, and handed New York (0-3) its third straight loss to open the season. A crowd of 19,763 that included Dustin Hoffman, John McEnroe and former Knick Stephon Marbury watched the Sixers (2-1) outscore the Knicks 19-5 in the extra period. New York made a furious comeback, outscoring the Sixers 41-26 in the fourth period, to force their second straight overtime game. Charlotte beat the Knicks in double-OT Friday night. They have sort of a weird way of playing," Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said of the Knicks. "They shoot themselves in and obviously they can shoot themselves out." He added: "Both teams really gave it all, both teams gutted it out. Both teams were determined and we just got loose [in the overtime]... We just continued to attack and attack." The Knicks had the third-worst defense in the NBA last season and are on pace for that type of performance again, surrendering an average of 119.3 points through three games. "I just thought in the overtime we had a complete physical breakdown," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Knicks forward Al Harrington scored a game- and career-high 42 points on 16-of-22 shooting. But with the Knicks up 127-124 he fouled Marreese Speights (20 points, 10 rebounds) with 3:30 remaining in the overtime. That sent Harrington to the bench with his sixth foul and left New York without its primary offensive weapon. The Sixers closed the game on a 17-0 run. "When he went out it kind of took our post presence away," said Knicks guard Larry Hughes, who scored 18 points off the bench. "We had to settle for some long shots. We just didn't have floor balance to get back and keep those guys off the backboard." Five Sixers scored in double-figures. Andre Iguodala led his team with 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Lou Williams (27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) and Thaddeus Young (25 points) were too quick for the Knick defenders and scored on a variety of athletic forays to the basket. Elton Brand showed a nice mid-range game in adding 16 points.
Danillo Gallinari, who replaced Harrington in the starting lineup, hit for a career-high 30 points and was 8-of-16 from beyond the arc. His 3-pointer from the right wing with 11.4 seconds left in regulation stoked the crowd and cut the regulation deficit to 121-120.