Philadelphia @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2019 ) New York 104, Philadelphia 109

Joel Embiid was back to MVP-level and the Philadelphia 76ers were back in the win column - at least for one game. Embiid and the 76ers will try to make it two in a row when they visit the New York Knicks on Friday.

Embiid went scoreless for the first time in his career when Philadelphia had a four-game winning streak come to an end in a 101-96 loss at Toronto on Monday but bounced back with 33 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 16 rebounds in a 97-91 triumph over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. "He did it himself," Philadelphia point guard Ben Simmons told reporters of Embiid. "You know how Jo is. He's a dominant player. We love seeing like that. We love seeing him come out like that and be locked in." The Knicks are losers of four straight - a streak that began with a 109-104 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 20 - and suffered through its worst loss of the season in a 126-98 setback at Toronto on Wednesday. "Message to the team is: trust," New York coach David Fizdale told reporters. "Right now, we're still fighting that fight to trust each other defensively and offensively."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, MSG (New York)

ABOUT THE 76ERS (12-6): While Embiid was recovering from a scoreless effort, reserve shooting guard Matisse Thybulle was putting together his first perfect outing while going 5-of-5 from the floor, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line en route to 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench on Wednesday. "I think the guys put me in good positions to make shots," Thybulle told reporters. "I didn't do anything crazy. I just spaced the floor and they were able to find me, and the shots fell." ? Philadelphia improved to 8-0 at home on Wednesday but dropped six of the last seven on the road.

ABOUT THE KNICKS (4-14): Leading scorer Marcus Morris Sr. (18.6 points) was held to seven points on 3-of-7 shooting in 21 minutes on Wednesday as New York fell behind in the second quarter and never recovered. Power forward Julius Randle came through with a team-high 19 points to push his average to 16.4 - his 11th straight game scoring in double figures. Knicks rookie small forward and Canada native RJ Barrett added 16 points but went 5-of-17 shooting against the Raptors as the Knicks shot 37.5 percent from the floor.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Knicks PG Frank Ntilikina is 8-of-26 from the floor over the last three games.

2. Simmons recorded at least a double-double in six of his last seven games.

3. Philadelphia owns a nine-game winning streak in the series, including four straight at New York.

PREDICTION: 76ers 109, Knicks 93