Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
NEW YORK (AP) — When a miserable first quarter ended and they had just 15 points, the Philadelphia 76ers felt good about where they were.
The New York Knicks had been just as bad.
The 76ers kept up the good defense and eventually played just a little better offensively, holding the Knicks to the lowest points total in the NBA this season and winning 79-73 on Sunday night in the ugly opener of a two-game series.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who missed their first nine 3-point attempts before making one in the final minute of the first quarter, which ended in a 15-all tie.
“Any defensive coach would take that quarter,” swingman Buddy Hield said. “Offensively, no, but we got great possessions … and we figured out a way to weather the storm and we made plays when we needed to make plays.”
Less than two months after Joel Embiid scored 70 points by himself to set a 76ers franchise record, it appeared for a while that neither team might get that many Sunday.
Philadelphia led 37-31 at halftime, the lowest-scoring first half in an NBA game since Portland led Detroit 34-31 on March 30, 2019, in a game the Pistons won 99-90.
The scoring picked up in the second half, when the 76ers finally got enough contributions to snap a three-game losing streak. Hield had 16 points and Paul Reed added 13.
Tobias Harris finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who had been handled by the Knicks in the two previous meetings this season but can now split the series with a victory when the teams meet again Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
With Embiid still recovering from knee surgery and fellow All-Star Tyrese Maxey missing his fourth straight game because of a concussion, the…
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