NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks waived Taj Gibson on Sunday, three weeks after bringing back the 38-year-old veteran big man.

The Knicks turned to Gibson, a favorite of coach Tom Thibodeau, on Dec. 15 shortly after starting center Mitchell Robinson was lost to a stress fracture in his left ankle. He played in 10 games off the bench but hadn’t appeared in the last three, with the Knicks using Precious Achiuwa as their backup big man after acquiring him from Toronto in the deal that brought OG Anunoby to New York.

“Taj stepped up in a big way to help our team this season and has had an immeasurable impact on our organization both on and off the court throughout his team with the Knicks,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement.

Gibson also played for Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota before being with the Knicks from 2019-22, helping them return to the postseason in 2021 after a seven-year absence. He then spent one season with the Washington Wizards.

The Knicks are keeping Ryan Arcidiacono on the roster, and now his contract has been guaranteed for the season.

Gibson signed a non-guaranteed, veteran minimum contract with the Knicks on December 15 to provide frontcourt depth with Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims injured. Gibson played well in that limited role (1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in fewer than 10 minutes a game).

However, Isaiah Hartenstein has balled out as the starter, Sims is healthy and the Knicks added Precious Achiuwa in the OG Anunoby trade. The Knicks have a full frontcourt rotation and Gibson is the guy standing without a chair when the music stopped.

The Knicks look to be active at the trade deadline, however, their wait (search) for a superstar looking to change teams will have to wait until the summer at the earliest, nobody like that is on the market.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is one of the rising stars in the NBA. The fourth-year guard out of Kentucky has been putting up big numbers all season and Friday was no different.

Maxey had 27 points on 9-for-20 shooting with nine assists and four rebounds in a 128-92 loss to the New York Knicks. The Knicks walked away with the win, but New York coach Tom Thibodeau gave his respect to Maxey before the game as he has been impressed with his improvements.

“Each year, he’s gotten a lot better,” said Thibodeau of Maxey. “I think, in some ways, there’s a clear path for him now and I thought every time people were out last year, he skyrocketed.”

Maxey had a strong 2022-23 season that was sometimes overshadowed by the greatness of Joel Embiid and James Harden. Embiid led the league in scoring on his way to an MVP award while Harden led the league in assists as he showed off his brilliant playmaking.

Now, with Harden gone, the position belongs to Maxey, and the rising star is flourishing. He’s taking complete advantage of the opportunities placed in front of him.

“Now I think that the way the team is built and surrounding Maxey and Joel with shooting has opened up the floor and his speed and his shooting has gotten a lot better,” Thibodeau finished. “His first step, just the way he plays. He puts enormous pressure on you. He’s having a monster year.”

The Knicks put together one of their best performances of the season on Friday night, running one of the NBA’s top teams out of the gym in a commanding victory to push their winning streak to three games.

Soon-to-be All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle have been carrying the load for New York’s offense all season long, but that wasn’t the case in this one.

While Brunson did his thing leading the way with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, the 76ers frustrated Randle, holding him to just eight points on one successful field goal and six free throws.

With Randle’s rare off night, Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks turned to their bench for a spark, and boy did they get one.

Trailing by 10 points in the first quarter, backup point guard Deuce McBride entered and knocked down four consecutive three-point attempts for 12 quick points, getting the Knicks back on track and setting the tone for the night.

McBride went on to finish with 15 points, a rebound and four assists and was a pest on the defensive end.

“He played great, obviously we were all hype for him on the bench,” Brunson said postgame. “He works so hard day in and day out so the confidence he has just comes from his work ethic. It just looked so natural for him out there tonight.”

And McBride wasn’t the only Knicks reserve who stepped up, as Josh Hart recorded a double-double (10-15) and was a franchise-best +46 in 30 minutes off the bench. Quentin Grimes didn’t make a basket until the second half, but he went on a fourth-quarter splurge and ended with 19 points of his own.

Overall, New York’s bench unit outscored Philly’s 39-15 on the night.

“They were huge,” Thibodeau said. “We got great production from a number of different people. Deuce came in and played great. Quentin gave us some great minutes. Isaiah played with a lot of discipline against Embiid and Josh was fantastic all around.

“Guys just played really unselfishly tonight. They were hitting the open man and trusting their passes. We played good defense and had good rebounding on both ends, just all things you’re looking for. It was a good solid all-around win.”