NBA: Jose Alvarado hits 8 3-pointers as Knicks crush 76ers

Jose Alvarado made eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points as the visiting New York Knicks rolled to a 138-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in both teams’ final game before the All-Star break.

Mikal Bridges added 22 points for New York, which led by as many as 52 in closing the first half of the season with its 10th win in 12 games. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks.

With Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (suspension) sitting out, Tyrese Maxey was the lone star for Philadelphia. He scored 32 points, while VJ Edgecombe added 14 and Dominick Barlow contributed 13 for the Sixers, who fell to 1-3 in their last four games.

New York shot 62.5% in the first quarter, led by Bridges’ 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Knicks built a 12-point lead after Bridges’ dunk 3:20 into the game and maintained double-digit leads for most of the contest.

Towns’ 3-pointer early in the second quarter gave New York its first 20-point advantage. After a basket by Edgecombe, the Knicks added nine more points—capped by Alvarado’s 3-pointer—to go ahead 59-32.

The Knicks then finished the half on an 11-3 run to take a commanding 72-42 lead into the locker room. Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer in the final minute punctuated the dominant first half.

Philadelphia tried to rally in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 88-66 with 3:28 remaining. However, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, and Alvarado combined for all 16 of New York’s points down the stretch, giving the visitors a 104-71 lead going into the fourth.

The Knicks opened the final period with a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 114-73. Alvarado starred in that stretch with three 3-pointers. His triple with 7:41 left gave New York a 122-77 lead before Tyler Kolek’s 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining made it 129-77.

-Field Level Media/Reuters