Kelly Oubre Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo sparked a shoving match in the 76ers’ win over the Knicks.
NEW YORK – The Philadelphia 76ers’ upset win over the New York Knicks was one of the lowest-scoring basketball games in recent memory. For that reason, the Sixers’ 79-73 victory reminded fans everywhere of gritty, tough basketball from the 1990s. But it also did so because of a dust-up between Kelly Oubre Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo.
With just over four minutes left, chaos erupted when Oubre inadvertently smacked DiVincenzo in the face. The Knicks guard then held onto the Sixers wing’s leg as Isaiah Hartenstein shoved him over. Some shoving ensued between Hartenstein, Precious Achiuwa and Paul Reed before everyone returned to their benches.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo got into it 🍿
DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Paul Reed were assessed technical fouls. pic.twitter.com/uo3hwEHcJD
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 11, 2024
Oubre, who flashed a smile amid the hectic scene, received a common foul while DiVincenzo received a technical foul, as did Hartenstein and Reed. After the game, he didn’t make the ordeal out to be anything too serious.
“It’s just frustrations. This is a game of basketball, it’s high energy, we in The Garden. But I don’t got no enemies in this league,” Oubre said. “And it was just funny. All of that stuff’s funny to me. I don’t know why. I just laugh ’cause nobody’s gonna fight. So at the end of the day, I’ll see you Tuesday, bro.”
The 76ers played tough defense against the Knicks all night long, forcing 21 turnovers. But their offense wasn’t making its shots, allowing New York to keep pace for essentially the whole game. But the Knicks couldn’t hold onto a run long enough to claim the lead for good.
With 18 points on 6-19 shooting, Oubre led the Sixers in scoring. DiVincenzo’s 15 points on 6-17 shooting were second on the Knicks only to Jalen Brunson’s 19 points. Philly and New York have just one more game against each other this season. Lucky for them, it’s in two days.
Oubre said that the 76ers-Knicks clash was “a 90s game, old school, straight East Coast basketball” and that their rematch on Tuesday, also at Madison Square Garden, will be “another dogfight.”
About the Author
Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site’s Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.
