NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the 76ers victory over the Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers had an easy win over the New York Knicks in a matchup between the two Atlantic Division rivals. The 76ers had an embarrassing defeat at the Spurs in the previous match.

With the victory, the 76ers improve to a 21-12 record and are currently placed at the 3rd position in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The Knicks are struggling for consistency at this moment and are one of the bottom teams in the NBA with a 9-24 record.

The 76ers had an eight-point lead after the first half. They were really clicking on offense from the first quarter alone.

They scored 38 points on nearly 70% shooting from the field in the first quarter. The lead increased to 14 points before the start of the fourth quarter. The 76ers were always in total control of the match.

76ers had lost three of their last four matches and badly wanted to win this match to end this slump.

Here are the top three takeaways from the match:

#3 Hot shooting and great rebounding effort from the 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers had everything working to win this game

The 76ers shot 53.4% from the floor and 50% from the 3PT line where they went 15-30. This level of shooting at home is generally always good enough for a victory at home.

The 76ers also showed great effort on the glass in this match. They outrebounded the Knicks 51-35. They thoroughly dominated all the stats in the match and left the Knicks with no chance.

The 76ers are one of the top teams in the NBA this season. With the addition of Jimmy Butler, they now have three-star players in their line up. They will be hoping to come out of the East and challenge for the championship this season.

#2 Good performances from Hardaway Jr. and Kevin Knox

Kevin Knox has started to play well in his rookie year

In the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, it never seemed that the Knicks will challenge for playoff contention this season.

This year was going to be the year when they show how attractive a destination they can be for next years' loaded Free Agency class.

Kevin Knox, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, has been playing great in recent matches.

He scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for the match. Tim Hardaway Jr. is having a career year.

He scored the game-high 27 points on 7-16 shooting from the floor and 10-10 shooting from the free throw line. Hardaway Jr. is leading the team in scoring with 21.2 PPG per game for the season.

The New York Knicks will be hoping their young players keep performing at a high level and display great development curve.

#1 Great contribution from the star players for the 76ers

Ben Simmons had his fourth triple-double of the season

The 76ers had all their star players balling in this match. Ben Simmons had his second triple-double in three matches.

He ended the match with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Joel Embiid, who had a performance to forget against the Spurs, chipped in with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Embiid has been having an MVP caliber season with averages of 26.3 PPG and 13.2 rebounds per game in the 32 games this season.

Jimmy Butler also started pouring buckets. He scored 20 points on 6-9 shooting from the field.

JJ Redick scored 14 points for the game and in the process reached the milestone of 10000 career points. The rookie Landry Shamet led the bench unit with 17 points.

The 76ers next host the table toppers, Toronto Raptors, in a tantalizing encounter.