NEW YORK — A bad omen for a team that didn’t respect the NBA Cup.
The Sixers returned to action and knocked off the New York Knicks 116-107 Friday night.
Back after missing his last two games with an illness,
Tyrese Maxey got right back to leading all scorers with 30 points shooting 11-of-24 from the floor along with eight assists.
VJ Edgecombe shook off a slow shooting start to finish with 23 points shooting 10-of-18 from the field. Paul George did not have the same success, going for seven points on 2-of-10 shooting. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 22 apiece.
Joel Embiid was ruled out on gameday with an illness and right knee injury management. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford remained out. New York was only without Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet, both of whom have been out for an extended period of time.
Here are some thoughts from the Garden.
First Quarter
- Maxey seemed to hit the ground running despite how long it had been since he played. He ran a pick-and-roll to get Dominick Barlow a basket, then weaved his way for an easy floater of his own. He then buried both of his first three-point attempts of the night, both of which were healthy at that. Knicks’ fans definitely remember Game 5 based off the fans’ reactions every time he pulled up. New York did start the night just as well, making four of their first five shots of the night. The Sixers put a lot of trust in Edgecombe giving him the first crack at the Brunson assignment.
- Neither the defensive responsibility nor Maxey’s return to the lineup seemed to shake Edgecombe’s aggression early. He got a couple of threes up quickly, getting one of them to go down. He got on the board from inside the arc with a nice drive when he got KAT switched onto him.
- Edgecombe’s aggressiveness was challenged though. Not only did he get a layup attempt blocked by Mitchell Robinson, but he telegraphed a three-point attempt too much and Robinson swatted that one as well. The Knicks’ bench certainly contributed more in the quarter than the Sixers’ reserves — Jordan Clarkson and old friend Guerschon Yabusele each hit threes. The full Robinson experience was on display as he split a pair at the line to tie the game up at 29 at the end of the first.
Second Quarter
- Barlow was brilliant to start the game, creating so much with the offensive rebounds he was grabbing and the space he was cutting into. He got asked to do even more though, taking the center minutes when Adem Bona picked up three fouls in as many minutes, but Towns was able to draw a foul on Barlow as well. As a team the Sixers got caught with their hand in the cookie jar a lot, putting the Knicks in the bonus with over nine minutes left in the quarter.
- Both of the Knicks’ bigs on the floor at the same time was a matchup nightmare for the Sixers, especially with their own dealing with foul trouble. They might have gotten into some serious trouble had it not been for steals on back-to-back possessions. The first Maxey turned into a pick-6 and Quentin Grimes tried to do the same, but was fouled and had to settle for two at the line.
- No one needed his first two threes of the night to go down more than Justin Edwards, who hadn’t hit one prior to this since Dec. 4. Guarding Brunson was a tough ask though, especially with how light the whistle was — he gave Brunson a four-point play shortly after. George also finally got a jumper to fall after missing his first six shots of the night, and got his first three to fall late that had the Sixers trailing by just two at the break.
Third Quarter
- Speaking of being cold, Andre Drummond hadn’t hit a three in six games and it wasn’t for a lack of trying. After hitting one early in the game, he hit two coming out of the half and let the crowd know about it each time. The first started a 10-0 run for the Sixers — Edgecombe hadn’t made a basket since the first but he kept hunting his shot and found it early in the third.
- The Knicks did answer as both teams had all night to that point. Mikal Bridges got free for a couple of threes, and Brunson slowed things down to get to the line. A really encouraging sign for the Sixers was Edgecombe keeping the offense afloat. After getting a couple baskets off the dribble, he threw a really nice pass to Bona who was cutting baseline.
- Employing the Hack-A-Mitch strategy for a guy who’s shooting 22% from the line this year is certainly not a bad idea. It’s not as good an idea when that guy has already started the night 3-of-4 from the line, and it’s an even worse idea when they wait until he’s already gotten his shot up to hack him. That was the progression for the Sixers defense as the third was winding down. Robinson hitting his free throws allowed the Knicks to erase the deficit from earlier in the quarter. Meanwhile on the other end, Bona only split his pair, giving the Sixers a one-point edge after three.
Fourth Quarter
- Nothing quite allows one quarter to flow into the other like two challenges in the first three minutes. All the Knicks were able to muster in this time were some Robinson putbacks, while the Sixers just got a three from Maxey and Jared McCain.
- This was almost certainly McCain’s best game from inside the arc so far this season. He had moments where bigger guys punished him, but he was creating space to get his shot off more consistently than at any point this year. The combination of that, Maxey’s brilliance, and the Knicks being unable to buy a three allowed the Sixers to lead for some time, but certainly with no breathing room.
- It just felt like everything was clicking perfectly for the Sixers down the stretch. Not only were those two going strong, but Edgecombe started to get involved. He knocked down a couple more jumpers, and when Maxey finally put up a bad shot, Edgecombe was there to slam it back home. The Knicks finally forced a missed, but Edgecombe was able to steal the outlet pass and eventually get it to Maxey for another three, putting a bow on this one.
