Nerlens Noel scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the New York Knicks 97-81 Friday night in a matchup of the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
Ish Smith added 15 points for Philadelphia, which has won four of seven.
Alexey Shved made seven 3-pointers and had a career-best 25 points for the Knicks, who lost their fourth in five games. New York dropped to 14-55, the worst record in the NBA and three games behind the 76ers.
Philadelphia (17-52) has the third-worst mark. Minnesota is 15-53 after defeating the Knicks 95-92 in overtime Thursday night.
The team that finishes at the bottom of the overall standings will have the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery. The club with the worst record will have a 25 percent chance of getting the top pick, while the second-worst has odds of just below 20 percent.
The 76ers extended their six-point halftime lead to 80-66 to begin the fourth quarter. They took a 17-point lead early in the final period on Isaiah Canaan's 3-pointer with 10:56 remaining.
Philadelphia outscored New York 26-18 in the third quarter. Noel had eight points in the period, including consecutive athletic baskets midway through the quarter. First, he finished an alley-oop dunk after a pass from Smith before an acrobatic layup resulted in a three-point play that put Philadelphia up 72-58 with 6:45 left.
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The 76ers' lead in the period grew as high as 80-65 on Canaan's 3-pointer with 1:56 left.
Shved, who played in 17 games with the 76ers earlier this season before being shipped to Houston prior to his trade to the Knicks, continued his strong play since replacing Tim Hardaway Jr. in the starting lineup eight games ago.
Shved scored 16 first-half points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 4 for 4 from behind the arc, but the Knicks trailed 54-48 at the break. He finished 8 for 14 from the field and 7 of 8 from 3-point range.
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TIP-INS
Knicks: Hardaway (right wrist) and Cleanthony Early (left ankle) each missed their third straight game. . Carmelo Anthony, out for the season after knee surgery, had 27 points in the Knicks' 98-91 win on Jan. 21 in Philadelphia. . Rookie guard Langston Galloway, who played college ball at nearby Saint Joseph's, finished with two points, his lowest output since joining the Knicks on Jan. 7. He shot 1 for 8.
76ers: For the first time all season, Philadelphia was the betting line favorite. . Thomas Robinson (ribs) sat out after getting hurt in Wednesday's 94-83 win over Detroit. . Former 76ers great Allen Iverson was in attendance.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Toronto on Sunday.
76ers: At Lakers on Sunday.
