Embiid, Harden help 76ers blow by Knicks to win 8th straight

The Philadelphia 76ers were having a rough season, and Joel Embiid was already worried that he was giving up too much offensively.

The Sixers are on too strong of a run with him and James Harden to remain in the cellar for too long.

We’re just good players. The plan is clear, Embiid said.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 119-112 on Sunday to run their winning streak to eight games. Joel Embiid scored 35 points, while James Harden added 29 points and 13 assists.

The 76ers started off well on a four-game road trip after sweeping a seven-game homestand, led by the play of Georges Niang (16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from deep in the fourth quarter) and De’Anthony Melton (15 points).

“It was a game where you just have to hang around,” Harden said. “It’s like, if you hang around, if you stick around, by the fourth quarter you have a shot.”

The 76ers took advantage of the situation.

They started the fourth with a 24-9 outburst, outscoring the Knicks, and turned a one-point deficit into a 116-102 victory.

Even with 35 points from Julius Randle and 23 from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have dropped three in a row after winning eight in a row.

Again, we’re simply not doing enough to win right now, and that’s what we have to address,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.