Philadelphia 76ers wing Kelly Oubre just laughed off the skirmish between him and Donte DiVincenzo that marred their 79-73 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday, March 10, at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s just frustration,” Oubre told reporters, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “This is a game of basketball. It’s high energy [game]. We are at The Garden. But I’ve got no enemies in this league. All that stuff was funny to me. I don’t know why. I just laugh. Because nobody’s gonna fight. So at the end of the day, I’ll see you Tuesday bro.”
Oubre got into DiVincenzo’s skin with 4:04 left after they got entangled underneath the Knicks’ basket. DiVincenzo held onto Oubre’s legs, sparking the scuffle which also saw Isaiah Hartenstein pushing Oubre to the ground.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo got into it 🍿
DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Paul Reed were assessed technical fouls.
Oubre, who just laughed, escaped with a regular foul while DiVincenzo, Hartenstein and Philadelphia center Paul Reed were hit with a technical foul each.
DiVincenzo dodged the question about the incident after the ugly loss which saw him shooting just 6 of 17 from the floor, including 3 of 12 from deep.
“I have no comment,” DiVincenzo said, per New York Post.
Oubre was the biggest thorn in the Knicks’ side as he produced 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the 76ers who were without their top 2 players.
Joel Embiid is still without a timeline to return, as the reigning MVP center is still recovering from his surgery to repair his torn meniscus. Tyrese Maxey missed his fourth straight game due to concussion protocol. But he will return on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, giving another headache for the Knicks.
Oubre’s length and stout defense also helped the 76ers limit the Knicks’ offensive engine, Jalen Brunson, to 19 points on 6 of 22 shooting.
Knicks Reset Scoring Futility This Season
Two days after their defense held the Orlando Magic to a previous season-low 74 points in a rousing victory, the Knicks reset it immediately against the 76ers.
Their season-low 73 points were also their lowest-scoring game since 2018.
The Knicks shot an ugly 32.5% from the floor and went 9 of 40 from downtown.
Brunson and DiVincenzo were the only starters who managed to score in double figures. Bojan Bogdanovic added 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench as the only other Knicks player who finished in double-digit scoring.
OG Anunoby Returns
Reinforcement finally arrives for the Knicks as OG Anunoby is on track to return on Tuesday following an elbow procedure to remove a loose fragment of bone in his elbow on February 8.
“Knicks forward OG Anunoby – out since Jan. 27 with elbow injury – is expected to return as soon as Tuesday vs. 76ers, sources tell The Athletic and Stadium. He’s expected to be upgraded on injury report,”The Athletic’s Shame Charania reported on X, formerly Twitter, on March 11.
Sunday’s loss was the 18th game Anunoby missed since the Knicks acquired him on the eve of New Year’s Day from the Toronto Raptors.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau revealed before Sunday’s loss that Anunoby, Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) will travel with them in their upcoming four-game West Coast trip that begins on Thursday, March 14, at Portland.
“They can travel,” Thibodeau told reporters, referring to all his three injured starters.
Tom Thibodeau gives an update on OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson:
“They can travel. Hopefully OG gets cleared and should be able to play.”
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Kelly Oubre Sends Message to Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo After Skirmish