OG Anunoby, Knicks Wow NBA Fans in Dominant Win vs. 76ers with Jalen Brunson, KAT Out

It's that time on the NBA calendar where certain results make fans of both teams involved happy. Tuesday night's matchup between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers was such an occasion.

The Knicks—without Jalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Towns—defeated the Sixers, 105-91, led by OG Anunoby's 27 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Landry Shamet added 20 points off the bench, shooting 6-of-11 from three.

The Sixers, meanwhile, were without... basically half of their roster and were led by Quentin Grimes (26 points, five assists), who continued his late-season heater. So shorthanded were these Sixers that Alex Reese (two-way contract), Marcus Bagley (10-day contract) and Phillip Wheeler (10-day) all earned minutes off the bench.

So yes, the game was basically a foregone conclusion. But Knicks fans were happy with the win nonetheless:

At this point, the Knicks (48-27) are fairly firmly entrenched as the No. 3 seed heading into the Eastern Conference playoffs with seven games to go, barring an epic meltdown. Still, avoiding losses while Brunson (ankle sprain) and KAT (left knee soreness) are unavailable is important.

Losses remain even more important for the Sixers (23-52), who currently hold the fifth-worst record in basketball. Philly is trying to hold onto its top-six protected pick, otherwise owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Currently, the Sixers hold a 64 percent chance of keeping their selection.

So yes, even though Sixers fans probably don't recognize half of the players who played on Tuesday night, they are happy with the result.