The Knicks finally unlock the fourth quarter formula with their NBA Cup victory over the 76ers

PHILADELPHIA – With a spirited performance from their frontcourt, the Knicks reversed their fourth-quarter woes and defeated the Sixers 111-99 on Tuesday night.

The Knicks won the final 12 minutes overwhelmingly as Tom Thibodeau opened his rotation and Karl-Anthony Towns outplayed his longtime foe Joel Embiid.

OG Anunoby scored 24 points and provided the highlight, a high-flying dunk early in the fourth quarter that took the breath away from the Philly fans and energized the traveling Knicks fans.

Josh Hart finished the night with a triple-double and argued that talk of the team’s demise was greatly exaggerated.

“We’re only 10 games into the season,” said Hart, who finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. “We have you all [in the media] Everyone is crying about how we look offensively and defensively. Some people are ready to end the season, others say we have lost our identity. We don’t listen to it. At the end of the day, we know what we have and it takes some fine-tuning.”

The Knicks (5-5) had a balanced attack, with their top six (starters plus Miles McBride) all scoring at least 14 points despite an off night from Jalen Brunson.

Even more impressive, they held the Sixers to 37 percent shooting and under 100 points, making up for the defensive slump in Indy two nights earlier.

“Our defense held strong throughout the game and in the fourth quarter,” Towns said. “So it’s something we can be proud of, something we can be proud of and something we can build on.”

It certainly ended on a positive note for New York, but the night took a brief, frightening turn on the first possession of the second half.

Brunson stepped on defender Caleb Martin’s foot, fell near midcourt and grabbed his right ankle in pain.

The point guard ran to the locker room and missed the next seven minutes of the game.

He returned and scored 18 points on 5 of 15 shooting. Brunson was on the court when the Knicks, who had a 32-point lead in the fourth quarter this season, started the final period with an 11-0 run on Tuesday and never looked back.

“We started the fourth quarter the way we wanted to and built from there,” Hart said.

By the low standards of the NBA regular season, Tuesday night had the feel of a big game.

First, it doubled as the opening game of the NBA Cup and the court was overly blue to commemorate Adam Silver’s creation.

Second, it was the season debut of Embiid, who has been excessively absent and just served a three-game suspension for shoving a reporter.

Third, it was the first matchup between the I-95 rivals since the intense playoff series the Knicks won last season.

Both teams experienced seismic changes over the summer, with Philly signing Paul George and Caleb Martin and the Knicks landing Towns and Mikal Bridges.

“Obviously both teams have changed quite a bit since those playoffs,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “And they added two guys who can really play. These guys are both really good players. Both have edge games to watch out for. I guess we’ll have to see.

“Last year in the playoffs they played Brunson almost exclusively. You will certainly get your dose of Brunson (on Tuesday), but of course you will also get a few KAT shots. And they do a pretty good job of spreading the word. Even OG (Anunoby) gets his moments and they go through him a little too. They are much more balanced and try to be more scope focused. We’ll have to see.”

Nurse ensured that Embiid prevailed for 26 minutes, scoring 13 points on 2 of 11 shooting.

He watched Towns beat Embiid while grabbing 13 boards with six assists and 21 points.

He saw Philly’s starting backcourt, without the injured Tyrese Maxey, shoot a combined 2-for-11.

Nurse continued to see his Sixers (2-8) as the biggest disappointment in the East alongside Milwaukee.

The Knicks took advantage with a strong defense, a strong fourth quarter and strong performances from Towns, Anunoby and Hart.

“In the end we did it [Brunson] as our No. 1 option,” Hart said. “KAT was the first choice for many years of his career. [Bridges] was a number one option. OG can score the ball in a variety of ways. [McBride] comes off the bench and gives us great minutes. I’m out there just trying to understand the connections. It’s nice to have a game like this. I think it starts with defense. I think we have overtaken them. We played Knicks basketball.”