4 reasons Knicks vs. 76ers was the perfect way to kick off NBA Christmas Day

NBA Christmas has a few headlining matchups, but New York vs. Philly was the right way to start the day.

NBA Christmas opened with a Knicks vs. 76ers matinee matchup. Philadelphia rode away with a 105-98 win at Madison Square Garden, and Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis were at the center of things. But there were a few reasons why both teams put together a fun kick-off to this holiday basketball game slate.

In no particular order, here they are:

It was Joel Embiid’s Madison Square Garden debut

Embiid only played 31 games last season, and none of them were on the road against the Knicks. So it was only right he left his mark at the world’s most famous arena when his 76ers traveled up north for Christmas.

Embiid had 25 points and 16 rebounds in Philly’s win over New York, while dominating the paint with three blocks — all in the first half.

And when it mattered most down the stretch, The Process came off a screen on an out-of-bounds play and drilled a corner three.

Enes Kanter stole the show

With all the focus on Porzingis and Embiid, Kanter did all the dirty work to keep the Knicks hanging around. The Turkish big man had a game-high 31 points and 22 rebounds, including 11 each on offense and defense.

Kanter and Embiid also got into it a few times, and somehow it didn’t escalate past that. Had the Knicks won, it would have been Kanter who took home the game ball.

Kristaps Porzingis locked down the paint

Porzingis finished with 22 points on 6-of-19 shooting and seven rebounds, but his five blocks set the tone for the Knicks’ defense. Trevor Booker thought he was gonna go up KP’s chest, until his layup attempt was met by all eight feet of Porzingis’s wingspan.

T.J. McConnell kept scrapping

Last season, McConnell hit a turnaround, fadeaway jump shot over Carmelo Anthony at the buzzer at MSG to win the game. The way he was playing on Monday, it felt like he was going to hit another buzzer beater.

McConnell came off the bench to give Philly 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Defensively he was a pest that got under Frank Ntilikina and Jarrett Jack’s skin. Add in his two-of-four three-point shooting, and you’ve got a difference maker in Philadelphia.