The Knicks tried their best to dig themselves out of a hole that they made themselves on Friday against the Sixers, but they were unable to pull through, losing for the second time this season to LeBron James and Philly. As a result, they dropped to 2-4 on the season.

There were some winners despite the Knicks’ defeat, but several losers as well.

Winner No. 1: Jordan Clarkson

Once again, Jordan Clarkson came into the game after not having played for the majority of the game and provided positive impact on the floor. That’s why you bring him back as your veteran at the end of the bench: Clarkson is always ready to rock.

Clarkson first entered Friday’s game in the fourth quarter, playing nine minutes and scoring four points. He also provided three rebounds—including a second-chance putback on an offensive miss—as well as a block of LeBron James.

The Knicks won his minutes by five and lost all other minutes in the game by 10... and it was all because of defense. Despite a 106.3 offensive rating in the 9:18 that Clarkson was on the floor, the Knicks had a 75.0 defensive rating and +31.3 net rating in those minutes.

Without Clarkson on the floor, the Knicks had a 117.8 DRTG and -15.1 NETRTG. He’s been an impact stalwart this season and dating back to late last season. The Knicks have a 131.3 ORTG, 92.8 DRTG, and +38.6 NETRTG in 83 possessions with him on the floor this season.

Across his last 10 games, dating back to last year’s playoffs, the Knicks have won his minutes in each of those games he’s played in, posting a 130.0 ORTG, 99.4 DRTG, and +30.6 NETRTG.

The last time the Knicks lost Clarkson’s minutes? Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals and he spent just 2:47 on the floor in that game.

Winner No. 2: Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges showed glimpses of what he’s capable of at the best of times on Friday, even if it doesn’t seem to be all there. He had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting (2-of-4 from three), along with five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. That'll get him from being one of last game's losers to one of tonight's winners.

Speaking of Clarkson in Game 3 vs. the Cavs this summer, that was also the last time that Bridges had at least three steals in a game (he also was 11-of-15 from the floor that night, but that’ll come back another day).

A lot of his impact came in the third quarter, even though the Knicks didn’t win the minutes in the 8:37 he was on the floor. He had two of his three steals in that quarter, and it felt like he was all over the floor on both ends. That's how you win people back over and get your name off the chopping block.

Funnily enough, and this might be before some tweaks are made based on uploaded NBA tracking, Spencer Pearlman’s The Court Lab had him as the most valuable player from Friday’s loss—and that’s including both teams. He led the game in Value Added.

Loser No. 1: OG Anunoby

I understand that OG Anunoby had an amazing playoff run in the summer, and I understand he’s the author of the greatest put-back in franchise history. I totally get that, don’t worry.

However, the way that OG has played this season just doesn’t feel right... and that’s on both ends. He’s taking bad shots, he’s making bad decisions on both ends, and he’s just not a positive player for the Knicks currently.

Anunoby had just nine points (4-of-10 shooting) and two turnovers in his minutes in Friday’s loss. He had five drives to the hoop in the game and it amounted to just five points, and he can say thank you to Deuce McBride for it not being just two points from five drives.

One of the crazier sequences of the game was when Dean Wade stripped the ball from him when he tried iso-ing him from the corner and then later Anunoby ended up being caught in rotations, leading to a Tyrese Maxey dunk. Just stuff that can’t happen.

Loser No. 2: Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson gave the Knicks life with a late lead off a crazy three-point make, but for the most part, it was a bad game for Brunson. A lot of credit goes to VJ Edgecombe, who spent a majority of the night making Brunson’s life miserable.

However, we’ve seen Brunson not let that get in his way in the past; but tonight, it definitely did. He had 24 points and six assists, but he made just eight of 22 shots and was 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. Add in a missed free throw late and he had a 48.0% TS%.

For most of the game, it felt like he just wasn’t reading the defense well and he wasn’t taking efficient shots. That was especially true in the fourth quarter when he missed four of five shots—and the only made shot was a desperation corner three.

He had a monster game vs. Chicago on Wednesday, scoring 38 points with a 66.6% TS%, but he has a TS% around 47% in his other five games this season. Through six games in 2026-27, he has averaged 25.5 PPG on 50.7% TS%. The Captain has to be better.