3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following big road win over Knicks

NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the New York Knicks 130-119 on Saturday night to completely turn their road trip around. It got off to a tough start as the Sixers dropped the first two of the trip, but Philadelphia ended it on a 3-game win streak and put an exclamation point on it with the win in New York.

Tyrese Maxey had 36 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, VJ Edgecombe added 26, Joel Embiid had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and Paul George had 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Quentin Grimes hopped off the bench to add 10, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.

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Here are the three biggest takeaways from the win over the Knicks:

Maxey’s defense shines

Known for his offensive wizardry, one has to give credit to Maxey on the defensive end. Of course, Jalen Brunson got his buckets because he is who he is, but the work Maxey has put in to become a competent defender is noticeable. He made Brunson work for everything he got in this one while also dominating on the offensive end of the floor. It was an overall impressive performance on both ends, but when considering the work, the defense has to be singled out.

"He’s been much better this year," said coach Nick Nurse. "I think the whole way. I think you'd agree that he's into the ball, he's over screens, getting his share of pick sixes, creating his fair share of turnovers. So he's been really alert on that end of the floor, I think, all season. He just keeps getting a little better."

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Edgecombe does it all

What can’t this rookie do? There’s only so many superlatives one can use when describing Edgecombe. He has the poise of a 7-year veteran, he’s terrific on the defensive end, can score in a variety of ways on the offensive end, and doesn’t let anything rattle him. The fact that he continues to come up large on the road in some of the toughest arenas to compete in and just produces at a high level is impressive. A 20-year-old rookie is not supposed to be this good this early.

"He’s been awesome," said Nurse. "I think that just, again, the composure, I think that he has it just is so steady out there. He plays like a 10-year vet with his composure. Just kind of keeps making plays. He does a little bit of everything, which is great."

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Grimes continues to step up

The stat sheet Grimes produced in this one needs to be brought up. He gave the Sixers a big spark on the defensive end as he helped crash the glass, knocked down a couple of 3s, made plays for others with his passing, and came up with some impressive blocked shots. There was so much that Grimes was able to do in this one as he continues to find ways to impact the game and give the Sixers a big spark off the bench.

"Q was big," said George. "I know a couple of shots he wished he could take back. The early on, but he got his rhythm. He got that steal that kind of sparked a change for him, confidence-wise offensively, but defensively, he was great. Getting into the ball, pressuring ball handlers, big rebounds, just getting deflections, getting steals, and he made some big shots down the stretch, too. So it's a big lift. Those guys are, again, big time performers."

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following big road win over Knicks