NEW YORK — Neither team would let the game go.
The Sixers rallied from 18 down in the third quarter before eventually falling to the Knicks in double overtime, 119-113, Monday at Madison Square Garden. Free throws proved costly, as the Sixers hit only 13 of 25, while the Knicks were 25 for 30.
The Knicks looked like they had a win put away in the fourth quarter, but it was far from over. The Sixers trailed 76-58 with 1:13 left in the third. Then they waged a comeback, outscoring the Knicks 33-20 in the fourth to force overtime.
With less than 10 seconds left in OT, the Knicks led 107-104. Robert Covington drained a three to even to score. Carmelo Anthony missed a game-winning attempt and the game headed to double overtime.
The Sixers stayed within four points with under a minute to play in double overtime before their offense fell flat. They did not score in the final 52.5 seconds of the game.
Okafor sits
Jahlil Okafor posted 20 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes over the first three quarters. He did not play in the fourth or either overtime.
NBA
Turning point
The Knicks led 113-111 with 2:28 to play in double overtime. Langston Galloway connected on a layup to push the lead to four and blocked Isaiah Canaan on the next possession. Anthony hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper to give the Knicks a 117-111 advantage.
Inside the box score
Arron Afflalo led all players with 25 points (8 for 17 from the field) along with seven rebounds. Okafor scored a team-high 20 points with seven boards for the Sixers over three quarters (see above).
There were four double-doubles in the game: Nerlens Noel (18 points,13 rebounds), Ish Smith (16 points, 16 assists), Kristaps Porzingis (16 points, 12 rebounds), Robin Lopez (16 points, 10 rebounds).
Anthony returned from an injury with 19 points (7 for 28 from the field), seven rebounds and seven assists.
Major minutes
Ten extra minutes of basketball led to significant playing time. Anthony (49), Noel (48), Covington (46), Afflalo (45), Smith (44) and Hollis Thompson (40) all played more than 40 minutes.
Grant returns
Jerami Grant was back in action after missing the last two games with a left calf strain (see story). He was restricted to 20 minutes and played 15. Grant scored nine points.
Up next
The Sixers will travel to Orlando where they will face the Magic on Wednesday. They return home for a game against the Celtics Saturday night.