Knicks 99, 76ers 87
NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak, turning back the Philadelphia 76ers 99-87 Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis registered his ninth double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Knicks (9-10). Guard Arron Afflalo added 13 points and eight rebounds, and forward Carmelo Anthony returned after missing one game due to illness, scoring 12 points in the wire-to-wire win.
Philadelphia (1-19), which ended its 18-game losing streak at the start of the season with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, was without center Jahlil Okafor who was suspended for two games earlier on Wednesday. Okafor, the third pick in the NBA draft out of Duke, will also miss Saturday's game against the Denver Nuggets.
The suspension comes on the same day a second video was released showing the 19-year-old Okafor being involved in a fight outside a Boston nightclub last week.
"Jahlil is a very important part of our organization and our future," the team said in a statement. "While we are disappointed with his recent actions, we have faith in him as a valued member of the Sixers. We will provide the necessary resources to support him on his journey and will do our part to help him succeed both on and off the court."
Okafor leads all rookies in scoring, averaging 17.2 points. He's third among rookies in rebounding with an 8.1 average.
Forwards Hollis Thompson and Richaun Holmes came off the Philadelphia bench to score 13 and 11 points, respectively.
The Knicks closed out the third quarter on an 11-3 spurt for an 81-58 cushion and their largest lead of the night. Philadelphia never got closer than 10 points in the quarter.
New York pulled away in the second quarter with an 11-4 run, which advanced its lead to 45-32 with 4:11 left in the quarter. Philadelphia endured another poor shooting quarter, hitting just eight of 23 shots from the floor.
The 76ers, who shot 34.8 percent in the first half, trailed 54-39 at the half.
The Knicks took advantage of the 6-11 Okafor's absence in the first quarter, scoring 14 points in the paint on the way to a 27-21 lead. Philadelphia converted only eight of its 24 shots in the first quarter.
NOTES: C Joel Embid (injured right foot), F Carl Landry (injured right wrist), G Kendall Marshall (injured right knee) and G Tony Wroten (injured right knee) did not dress for Philadelphia. F Lou Amundson was inactive for the Knicks. ... Brothers Jerami (Philadelphia) and Jerian Grant (New York), sons of former 76ers forward Harvey Grant, faced each other for the first time in the NBA. ... The Knicks recalled F Cleanthony Early from the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Developmental League.