NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers were able to walk away with a 116-107 win over the NBA Cup champion New York Knicks on the road on Friday to get back in the win column. The Sixers had four days off after falling to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday and took advantage of the rest they were granted in the win.

Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and eight assists in his return from an illness. VJ Edgecombe had 23 points and four assists, Andre Drummond had 14 points and 13 rebounds, Dominick Barlow had 11 points and four rebounds, Jared McCain had 12 points, and Paul George added seven points.

Here are the three biggest takeaways following the win:

George contributes despite the struggles

When looking at the box score, one will see that George shot just 2-for-10, and 1-for-6 from deep for his seven points, but he grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists while playing excellent defense. The 9-time All-star was unable to really find the rhythm he was able to find in previous games, but the fact that he was still impactful is a big sign. He was a plus-16 in his 33 minutes out on the floor and it’s something coach Nick Nurse will take despite his struggles on the offensive end.

Nurse stated on George after the win:

“He didn’t hardly get any good shots, right? His shots were tough tonight to come by. So, that was partly because of the way they were playing him a little bit. Just we were running pretty basic stuff over and over and trying to do what we wanted to do and it never found its way to him out of anything. Not even when they were doubling him at the end. You’d think one of those skip passes would find him. They just never did, but to your point, he had a couple huge defensive rebounds, too. I think he had a big plus/minus if I’m not mistaken. Again, that’s kinda–it doesn’t surprise me that he was a plus-16 there. He had a really big game. I haven’t used this line in a while, but you can go 2-for-12 or 2-for-10 and still have a great game. That’s what I think he did tonight.”

Edgecombe continues to show poise

The young man truly is no ordinary rookie. The No. 3 overall pick shook off a 2-for-8 start and shot 8-for-10 in the second half scoring 18 points after halftime on his way to a terrific night. He also played stellar defense on Knicks star Jalen Brunson as he forced him into tough shots all throughout the second half to help the Sixers get the job done. When one looks at his overall body of work, one can’t help but be impressed with what he was able to do.

“He surprised me a little bit tonight,” Nurse smiled. “He surprised me a little bit tonight. I think the tough buckets down the lane. That’s absolutely what we had (to have) and he kept making them and the huge offensive rebound I thought was a huge play to kinda keep the scoreboard moving. So, it’s a bit surprising. He’s really good, man. He’s getting better, too.”

The return of Maxey

The Sixers certainly missed their star leader in the previous two games. Maxey scored 11 of his 30 in the fourth quarter to close out the Knicks as he knocked down some tough shots including a number of 3-pointers that felt like backbreakers out on the floor. He was terrific down the stretch and he was able to guide the Sixers to a much-needed win against a very good Knicks team. One has to wonder how he’s feeling after playing 38 minutes coming off an illness.

“Maybe y’all should back up,” Maxey smiled. “No, I’m just kidding, I feel great. My wind was solid. Having those two days of practice was great because, I couldn’t really even breathe at practice, but I got it all out of me then, and I was able to come here and just be myself for the most part.”