Philadelphia @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2018 ) New York 92, Philadelphia 108

The Philadelphia 76ers are closing in on their first playoff spot since 2012 and have a run of sub-.500 teams on the schedule to help their cause. The soft stretch, which involves five in a row against losing squads, begins Thursday when the Sixers visit the New York Knicks, losers of eight in a row.

Philadelphia is 4-5 in its last nine games after dropping a painful 101-98 decision to fellow playoff contender Indiana on Tuesday at home and enters the favorable portion of the slate in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. "I think the difference between this game is maybe [they] wanted it more this game," forward Dario Saric told reporters after his team committed 21 turnovers versus the Pacers. "Maybe, you can say something like that. But I don't know, it's weird sometimes when you lose like that, you don't know where to start." The Knicks are 7-30 since just before Christmas and they've lost by an average of 15 points during their eight-game slide. Tuesday's 110-97 loss to Dallas at home dropped them to 16-16 at home, all after a 15-5 start at Madison Square Garden.

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

ABOUT THE 76ERS (36-30): Philadelphia scored 128 points, 99 points, 120 points and 98 points in consecutive games as it navigates an inconsistent stretch. Joel Embiid did his part on the offensive end in Tuesday's loss - which snapped a 13-game winning streak in the Sixers' home arena - but he had eight of the 21 turnovers and missed all five of his 3-point tries as Philadelphia suffered another missed opportunity. "The fact is that we have not been able to get through the Miamis, the Washingtons, the Milwaukees and tonight the Indianas," coach Brett Brown said, citing recent losses to teams surrounding the Sixers in the standings. "With each one of those games, we learn a little bit about what we need to get better for the playoffs."

ABOUT THE KNICKS (24-44): The one highlight for New York on Tuesday was the return - at least in street clothes - of injured All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, who made his first public comments since suffering a torn left ACL in February. "Not only just getting bigger and stronger but just my movement, my body, the way my body moves and all those things," Porzingis said of his goal of coming back better than ever. "That's going to be big for me also because of how long I am. So I think I don't know how many months I have, [but] I'm going to use it as efficiently as I can to come back as a better player and also work on my mind ... and come back sharp." The organization has given no specific timetable for Porzingis' return, but the initial expectation is that the 7-3 Latvian would be out at least 10 months following the Feb. 13 surgery.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Knicks C Enes Kanter (back) returned from a one-game absence to grab 15 rebounds against Dallas but he was held to a season-low three points.

2. Sixers PG Ben Simmons recorded 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against Indiana for his seventh triple-double.

3. Embiid averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds as Philadelphia took the first two meetings this season.

PREDICTION: 76ers 111, Knicks 104