There are some things in life that go well together, and one of those things is Christmas and basketball. Each year, the NBA has a set of high-profile games take place on Christmas Day, and this year, one of those matchups features the New York Knicks taking on the Philadelphia 76ers. With Christmas right around the corner, it's time to roll out our Knicks Christmas Day predictions for this big game against the Sixers.
The Knicks have been on fire as of late, as they had been on an eight-game win streak prior to picking up a pair of tough losses to the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls. After struggling to find a reliable rotation in the early going, New York finally has settled into the season, and proven that they could be set to make some noise in the playoffs if they continue to play at this high level.
New York will have a great opportunity to measure themselves up against the 76ers on Christmas Day, as they sit right ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings at fifth place. So with a pivotal matchup on deck for the Knicks, let's unveil our three bold predictions and see what could be expected to happen in this game.
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3. Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley will score 20 points off the bench
The Knicks have a lot of solid guards on their bench this season, which is part of the reason their rotation has been such a mess early on this season. And while that is still the case in a sense, it's clear that Immanuel Quickley has emerged as one of head coach Tom Thibodeau's first choices to come off the bench and provide his team with a bit of a scoring spark.
Quickley has been a solid bench scorer again this season (10.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 41 FG%) but the same holes in his game from prior seasons still exist. He's prone to extreme bouts of cold shooting, which results in his efficiency plummeting to the rate that we see it at. Until Quickley can begin to hit more of his shots, or add more to his game as a playmaker, he likely will continue to reside on the bench.
Despite that, Quickley has had a strong month of December so far, and he's been particularly good in his three most recent games, scoring at least 15 points in each contest. That trend will continue against the Sixers, as Thibodeau will turn to Quickley for a much needed scoring boost and end up getting rewarded with a strong performance from him. When all is said and done, Quickley will have eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third time in his last four games.
2. Knicks PG Jalen Brunson will finish with a double-double in points and assists
Not many fans were sold on the Knicks big move of the 2022 offseason, which ended up being signing Jalen Brunson to a big contract in free agency. Brunson wasn't a consistent starter during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, and while he has a lot of skill on offense, he is undersized even for a guard, which makes him a defensive liability.
Despite those concerns, Brunson has been phenomenal early on this season for the Knicks. He's been the conductor of their offense (20.1 PPG, 6.4 APG, 3.2 RPG, 45.8 FG%) which has helped open up the floor, while also allowing Julius Randle to focus more on scoring rather than playmaking.
Brunson's ability to hit open teammates has been a key piece in the team's success so far this season, and he will continue to find his teammates at a high clip against Philadelphia. Brunson has had four games where he's racked up ten or more assists this season, and he will make that five on Christmas against Philly, while also pouring in 17 points to pick up his fourth double-double of the season.
1. The Knicks will lose 118-116 on a last second shot from Joel Embiid
This will be a big game for the Knicks. After a slow start to the season, they have been on fire lately, and going up against another top team in the East on Christmas Day is going to be a big challenge for them. Measuring stick games do exist in the NBA, and while the 76ers aren't exactly the top team in the East, they have a lot of talent to make things difficult for the Knicks.
This game won't get off to a great start for the Knicks, as they will struggle to contain Joel Embiid and James Harden in the early going, and they will be down 40-22 after the first quarter. Quickley will provide a nice burst of scoring off the bench in the second quarter, though, and the deficit will be cut to ten at halftime with the score sitting at 66-56.
Embiid will get off to a hot start again in the third quarter, but the Knicks gradually work their way back into this game throughout the second half, and end up tying the game at 106 with five minutes left. It will go down to the wire, but Embiid will get Randle in isolation with the game tied at 116-116 and the shot clock turned off, and ends up burying a game-winning jumper over him to give the Knicks a hard-fought 118-116 loss on Christmas Day.
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