The Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Madson Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. The Sixers pushed their winning streak to a whopping eight games in another come-from-behind effort. They made Christmas in Philadelphia much happier with a 119-112 win over the Knicks.

Before returning to our families for the rest of the holiday — or perhaps pivoting to some more NBA or NFL action — let's break down the Christmas contest between the Sixers and Knicks.

Sixers player analysis

Joel Embiid: 35 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 12-22 FG shooting, 10-15 FT shooting

Embiid didn't look super engaged on offense to start. He settled for jumpers and couldn't convert them. In his second shift of the game, he got more into screening and rolling, which led to some good results, though he lost the ball numerous times as well.

Eventually, he got going and went into the half with 16 points, though seven of them came from the charity stripe. He powered the Sixers' offense in the third quarter, playing nearly the entire period to keep Philly close. It wasn't the prettiest performance for the MVP candidate but he got it done and led the team in scoring.

James Harden: 29 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 steals, 7-16 FG shooting, 10-11 FT shooting

Harden drew foul after foul to open the game, which was crucial for the Sixers as they struggled to shoot. He got going from the field, namely with some setback triples near the end of the third quarter to keep Philly one possession away entering the final period. In the fourth quarter, he took over and led the Sixers on a huge run that

Harden made some good contests when he switched onto guys like Barrett and Randle. His off-ball defense was a mixed bag, as he was susceptible to getting torched on back cuts but also played the passing lanes pretty well.

Tobias Harris: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4-10 FG shooting

Harris did most of his work on the boards for the Sixers while picking up some transition buckets by going full-steam ahead to the hoop. He missed all five of his attempts from deep, a rare poor shooting night from him, but he was still decent.

De'Anthony Melton: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 5-8 FG shooting

Melton had his hands full trying to contain Brunson but also had hit shooting going early including a deep triple over Robinson in the first quarter. He also attacked the paint and threw a lob to Montrezl Harrell that led to Robinson's second foul and made his first four shots, all from downtown. Melton made his first five shots, missed his final three and helped put the game away with a key offensive board.

Georges Niang: 16 points, 6-11 FG shooting, 4-9 3PT shooting 

After a rough first half, Niang came alive with 12 fourth-quarter points, making him the leading scorer of the final frame. He made all four of his triples in the final period, igniting a run that helped the Sixers go up by double-digits.

Knicks player analysis

Julius Randle: 35 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 12-24 FG shooting

Randle shot his first five attempts from deep, hitting three of them. He eventually got into attack mode more and put bucket after bucket right on P.J. Tucker's head, scoring 25 points in the first half.

However, he cooled off hard in the second half and took the Knicks offense down with him. He could hardly get a shot off in the fourth quarter and the New York offense stalled miserably. You'll rarely see someone go from completely owning a game to the other way around in the same game.

Jalen Brunson: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 10-19 FG shooting

The Knicks' star guard got to work early. He charged right ahead but also knew when to make a kick-out pass or pull up for a jumper, though he allowed Randle to take over and did his damage in spurts. Serving as the ultimate set-up guy and occasional spot-up shooter, he had some nice moments but couldn't prevent a collapse and eventually went to the locker room in the fourth quarter.

RJ Barrett: 17 points, 1o rebounds, 4 assists, 6-21 FG shooting

Barrett shot poorly from the floor but still provided some scoring off of the bounce and the fastbreak. He was woeful on shots near the rim, converting on just one attempt in seven tries. In the paint, he shot just 3-13.

Mitchell Robinson: 10 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 4-5 FG shooting

Predictably, Robinson destroyed the Sixers on the boards. He collected five offensive boards in the first half alone. His impact was limited by foul trouble (three in the first half) but he played a crucial role in the Knicks' offense by securing second chances. Even with his fouling, he did a respectable job against Embiid.

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Game trends

1st half

  • De'Anthony Melton guarded Brunson and P.J. Tucker guarded Randle, though the Knicks forward used his height advantage to hit a pair of early triples over the outstretched arms of Tucker. Quentin Grimes checked Harden while Mitchell Robinson defended Embiid.
  • The New York offense looked good early as Brunson and Barrett used their size to get into the paint and play up-tempo. The Sixers' struggled to get around screens and went down by as much as 14 in the first quarter. The Knicks played like they wanted to prove Christmas belongs to them, tallying 12 assists before their first turnover.
  • The Sixers' offense was so brutal in the opening frame, one of their possessions ended with a Montrezl Harrell triple. Slow starts are starting to become a worrisome trend.
  • On defense, the Sixers switched to a zone defense that actually worked for a little bit. They made the right rotations and contested shots well, but a cascade of points from Randle kept New York ahead.
  • SHAKE MILTON WHAT A SHOT OMG!! The Knicks led at halftime by a score of 63-60, winning the battle for second-chance points 19-3.

2nd half

  • Embiid came right out of halftime with some tough buckets (and got to 30 points before the quarter concluded) and Melton hit a triple to tie it but also committed his fourth foul early in the half. Embiid showed off his playmaking with a great dime to Tucker on a layup. Both offenses were cooking, though, and it remained a tight one.
  • Neither Georges Niang nor Harrell played super well (initially) yet still owned the best plus/minus marks on the team. Niang at least shot well and put in the triple that gave Philly its first lead of the game with 10:37 remaining.
  • Embiid became the Sixers' all-time leader in Christmas Day 30-burgers with three, accomplishing the feat in four games.
  • The Sixers' defense absolutely clamped up in the fourth quarter, allowing only two points in the first four minutes. They scored just seven, though that would soon change as Harden and Niang went off.
  • The Knicks didn't record a second-chance bucket until midway through the fourth. The Harden takeover, aided heavily by Niang's shooting, helped the Sixers go a 19-4 run in the fourth quarter. New York scored only 16 fourth-quarter points.

Stray thoughts

  • Nothing says holiday cheer quite like dropping a report about James Harden potentially leaving in free agency just over an hour before tip-off, amirite?
  • The Sixers' social media (indirectly) responded to the report with a video of Harden breaking down the team huddle by saying, “If I can’t be with my family on Christmas, I wanna be with y’all.” He played like he meant it.
  • I'm still beside myself at that half-court heave from Milton.
  • Watching Niang get insanely fired up after any big triple is a delight. I love the confident energy he brings.

The Sixers will continue their road trip on Tuesday with a matchup against the Washington Wizards.