For the second time this season, the New York Knicks (23*-12) have lost three straight games. It’s too early to panic, but measured concern is completely acceptable.
In tonight’s first quarter, the Knicks
leaned on Jalen Brunson, while the Philadelphia 76ers (19-14) answered with Tyrese Maxey’s unfettered scoring and Joel Embiid’s interior play to take a 31–30 lead. As the second quarter rolled along, Philly gradually seized control and stretched their lead to 66–58 at intermission. Shades of yesterday’s loss to Atlanta? You betcha. In the third period, the deficit reached double-digits and stayed there, topping out at 19. The score was 99–87 after three. Similar to last night’s tilt, the Knicks kicked back around the middle of the fourth, but they had no answers to Maxey or Embiid. Final score, 130-119.
Brunson finished with 31 points in 34 minutes, shooting 10-of-21 from the floor, 2-of-4 from three, and 9-of-12 at the line. He had just four assists and, uncharacteristically, three turnovers. He, Mikal Bridges, and Mitchell Robinson all finished with -11’s.
Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 23-point, 14-board double-double in 34 minutes, going 6-of-16 from the field. He missed all five of his longball attempts, but made 11-of-12 on free throws. OG Anunoby logged 37 minutes and scored 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, hitting 3-of-5 from three and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. He added six rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block.
Robinson played 19 minutes and finished with two points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and five fouls. Rounding out the starters, Bridges scored 12 points in his 37 minutes, shooting 5-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from deep, and contributed five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block.
The bench was uneven, with Miles McBride providing the clear spark: 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 5-of-7 from three, plus two steals in his 31 minutes. There wasn’t much production outside of that: Jordan Clarkson and Kevin McCullar, Jr. scored three points each, Tyler Kolek added six, and the rest of the bench combined for zilch. Once again, Coach Brown played 12 guys and thumbed his nose at Pacome Dadiet.
For the Cheesesteaks, Maxey led all scorers with 36 points, shooting 14-of-22 overall and 6-of-9 from three, plus eight rebounds and four assists. Embiid scored 26 points and 10 boards and took 12 free throws; Paul George scored 15 points and eight rebounds; and rookie VJ Edgecombe delivered 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 4-of-9 from three.
New York shot better from deep tonight, making 40%, but Philly bested them with 47% and won the game in the paint, outscoring the home team there, 54-32.
First Half
The first quarter opened with a choppy stretch during which both teams struggled to find rhythm. Brunson led the scoring with an array of shots and shot all six of New York’s free throws, making five. Anunoby, who’s been in a shooting slump of late, missed another three, but impacted the quarter with effort, rebounding, and ball movement.
As usual, Maxey drove Philadelphia’s offense, repeatedly getting downhill for layups and short floaters while also creating shots for others. His running mate, Embiid, looked fresher than we’ve seen him in a while. The big Cameroonian bullied in the paint and hit some mid-rangers.
Neither side went ahead by more than five. Kevin McCullar Jr. added a timely corner three late in the period, but Maxey’s attacked at will and, after five lead changes, the Sixers brought a narrow 31–30 lead into the break.
The teams traded perimeter bombs to start the second quarter. Gradually, Philly gained momentum behind Edgecombe and OAKAAKUYOAK Quentin Grimes, with both hitting deep threes to goose the lead. New York countered with timely buckets by Anunoby and Jordan Clarkson, but the tide kept drawing in the wrong direction.
By the midway point, the ‘Bockers were still hanging within five, but Maxey checked back in and paired with Embiid for a run that put them ahead by 13. Brunson and Anunoby delivered triples to salvage some ground, and they entered halftime down 66-58.
Second Half
Late in the third quarter last night, the Knicks had surrendered 90 points to the Atlanta Hawks. They allowed the Sixers to reach that point by midway through the third quarter tonight. Maxey and Embiid dictated the pace and space, with the former hitting multiple triples while the latter hacked away in the paint, drew fouls, and grabbed rebounds. The lead quickly hit double-digits and stayed there for the rest of the period.
New York briefly responded through Miles McBride, who attacked the rim, forced turnovers, and knocked down a three, but the cheese stood alone. When Maxey rattled in back-to-back threes, and Embiid added more at the rim, this game took on the smell of old fish. Rookie Mohamed Diawara made a brief appearance to relieve Anunoby, but blink and you’d miss him. Brunson and Towns scored some points that felt like treading water, and after being outscored for the third straight quarter, they entered the fourth behind 99-87.
The final frame opened with more Maxey, Edgecombe, and Grimes stuff to keep the lead in double digits. Our heroes briefly showed signs of life when Anunoby made free throws and Miles McBride drilled a three, but every meager endeavor was met by a response (George knocked down a three, Maxey kept scoring at will, etc.).
Midway through the quarter, the Knicks showed some spunk when Anunoby blocked a Jabari Walker attempt, Bridges rejected an Embiid layup, and McBride hit back-to-back threes. They cut the deficit to eight, but the vibe never really shifted in their favor. With under two minutes to go, George grabbed an offensive board that might have given the Knicks hope had it gone the other way; instead, Grimes made a layup, the differential was 10 again, and the life left the body in one extended exhale.
Up Next
The Knicks take to the road again with a trip to Detroit on Monday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.
