Brunson scores 31 points to lift the Knicks over Embiid and the 76ers, 112-109

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, OG Anunoby added 23 and the New York Knicks followed their most lopsided win in franchise history with a 112-109 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

The Knicks crushed the Nets 120-66 on Wednesday and then exploded with a 30-point third quarter in a stiffer road test that sent them to their first win in three tries this season over the 76ers.

Joel Embiid had 38 points and 11 rebounds, but turned the ball over on the final play of the game after the Knicks seemingly tried to intentionally foul him. Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points for the Sixers but shot an airball on a late tying 3-point attempt from near halfcourt as he anticipated an intentional foul that didn't come.

The 76ers had pulled within two late until Anunoby and Landry Shamet followed with consecutive 3s that helped the Knicks stave off the late-game collapse.

Led by Brunson, the Knicks opened the quarter on a 21-7 run and made Philly sound a bit like the inside of Madison Square Garden. The “Let's go Knicks!” chants that had largely been tamped down by boos in a competitive first half, instead filled the arena with each big Knicks bucket.

Brunson gave a little wave after he buried a 3 for an 84-72 lead. Embiid tried to rally the Sixers and his three-point play in the fourth — aided by a sixth foul on Karl-AnthonyTowns — cut it to 98-92.

It wasn't enough and a Knicks team that had lost nine of its previous 11 games heading into the Nets game has now won two straight. Modest, yes, but good enough to ensure the Sixers didn't gain ground on them in the East standings.

Embiid played a season-high 46 minutes in an overtime win over Houston on Thursday and followed with 28 points on 10-of-12 shooing in the first half Saturday.

He never looked more like his old self this season than when he barreled down the lane and hammered a one-handed dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Embiid has scored at least 30 points in four straight games and has reached 20 in a season-high 16 straight games.

Knicks: Host Sacramento on Tuesday.

76ers: Visit Charlotte on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr., left, tries to regain control of the loose ball as New York Knicks' Miles McBride, center, and Jalen Brunson, right, defending during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson, center, tries to pass the ball with Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr., right, and Quentin Grimes, left, defending during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns, right, goes up for the shot as Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona, center, fouls him with VJ Edgecombe, left, defending during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson, center, goes up for the shot over Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George, left, and VJ Edgecombe, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, center, goes up for the shot as New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson, left, and Miles McBride, right, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

HONOLULU (AP) — Seven Japanese American soldiers were promoted to officer ranks in a solemn ceremony Monday, eight decades after they died fighting for the U.S. during World War II despite having been branded “enemy aliens."

White flower lei adorned framed photos of the men displayed in a Honolulu military memorial park and received salutes as their family members watched from tents shielding them from rain that stopped as the ceremony began.

The seven were students at the University of Hawaii and cadets in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, on track to become Army officers, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. They initially served in the Hawaii Territorial Guard, but soon after the attack the U.S. barred most Japanese Americans from service and deemed them enemy aliens.

The seven cadets instead worked with a civilian labor battalion known as “Varsity Victory Volunteers,” which performed tasks such as digging ditches and breaking rocks, until American leaders in early 1943 announced the formation of a segregated Japanese American regiment. The seven were among those who joined the unit, known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

The combat team, along with the 100th battalion comprised of mostly Japanese Americans from Hawaii, went on to become one of the most decorated units in U.S. history. Some of its soldiers fought for the Allies even as their relatives were detained in Japanese American internment camps because they were considered a public danger.

“It is important for us to really kind of give back and recognize our forefathers and these veterans that we stand on the shoulders of,” said 1st Sgt. Nakoa Hoe of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regiment, what the unit is now known as in the Army Reserve. He noted the once-segregated unit now includes a “multitude of cultures.”

The seven “sacrificed so much at a challenging time when their loyalty to their country was questioned and they even had family members imprisoned,” he added.

The seven men — Daniel Betsui, Jenhatsu Chinen, Robert Murata, Grover Nagaji, Akio Nishikawa, Hiroichi Tomita and Howard Urabe — died fighting in Europe in 1944. All but Murata were killed during the campaign to liberate Italy from Nazi Germany. Murata was killed by an artillery shell in eastern France.

Murata's nephew, Todd Murata, 65, grew up hearing about his uncle's sacrifice. “It's an honor to be related to one of those people, those men, who volunteered for service,” he said. “After all these years, people still remember them.”

He was among the relatives who watched as the men were promoted to 2nd lieutenant, the rank they would have attained had they completed the ROTC program.

Even though Hawaii was not yet a state, the cadets were American citizens because they were born in Hawaii after its annexation in 1898.

Monday's ceremony capping efforts to honor the men comes amid growing concern that President Donald Trump's administration is whitewashing American history ahead of the nation celebrating 250 years of its independence. The administration has faced criticism for taking such steps as last week's removal of an exhibit on slavery at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.

Last year, the Pentagon said internet pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were mistakenly taken down. But it staunchly defended its overall campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups amid Trump administration opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Honoring the seven isn't about DEI but recognizing them for their merit and that “they served in the ultimate capacity of giving their lives for the country,” said Lt. Col. Jerrod Melander, who previously led the University of Hawaii's ROTC program as professor of military science.

Melander said he launched the commissioning effort in 2023 during former President Joe Biden’s administration and that the promotions were approved last year during the Trump administration.

The university awarded the men posthumous degrees in 2012. Laura Lyons, interim vice provost for academic excellence at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, called their promotions especially important.

“Everyone’s contribution to and sacrifice for the ideals of freedom and the security of this country should matter and should be acknowledged, regardless of who they are,” Lyons said.

Clifford Urabe, left, and June Harada, nephew and niece of Howard Urabe, a former University of Hawaii ROTC cadet, are interviewed after a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Faith Shiramizu places a lei on a framed photo of her uncle, Howard Urabe, a former University of Hawaii ROTC cadet, after a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

U.S. Army soldiers stand behind framed photos of former University of Hawaii ROTC cadets during a moment of silence during a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

U.S. Army soldiers salute framed photos of former University of Hawaii ROTC cadets during a posthumous commissioning ceremony at Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial Park, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

This combo image made with photos provided by the U.S. Army Pacific shows, from left to right, University of Hawaii ROTC cadets Jenhatsu Chinen, Daniel Betsui and Howard Urabe, top row, and Hiroichi Tomita, Grover Nagaji, Robert Murata and Akio Nishikawa, bottom row. (U.S. Army Pacific via AP)