What is the story about?
NEW YORK — No one should have to play so soon after a Game 7 anyway.
The Sixers were throttled 137-98 by the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their second round matchup, falling to another 1-0 series deficit.
Like Game 4 against Boston, Tyrese Maxey was just not aggressive enough. He finished with 13 points, shooting 3-of-9 from the floor with two assists to four turnovers. Joel Embiid again struggled with his jumper, he finished with 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting to go with four rebounds and one assist.
Paul George actually had an alright offensive night, he went for a team-high 17 points shooting 6-of-11 from the field along with three boards and three assists. VJ Edgecombe also looked slightly more ready for this series, he shot 5-of-11 for 12 points with one rebound and two assists.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 35.
Here are some thoughts from MSG.
First Quarter
- The Sixers’ offense definitely looked stuck in the mud to start the game. Between the near turnover that was saved by an incorrect shot clock violation call, the layup Maxey thought he got fouled on, and Karl-Anthony Towns stripping Embiid, not much looked pretty early. Edgecombe started well though making his first two pull-up jumpers of the night.
- With a lot of stops at the beginning of the game it was hard for either offense to get out of the gates. Brunson also made his first two shots of the night, drawing a foul on Edgecombe on his second. The Sixers had trouble chasing him around screens. Embiid missed his first three shots and got his first points at the line. He was able to again find Kelly Oubre Jr. for a baseline cut while George hit a couple of threes.
- None of Edgecombe, George, Oubre or Quentin Grimes could slow Brunson down early as he put up 14 in the quarter. Whether that was a factor or not, the Sixers resorted to hack-a-Mitch, putting Justin Edwards in the game to use up those fouls. Robinson missed all four attempts before Mike Brown pulled Robinson off the floor for a couple possessions.
- The Sixers ended the quarter doing a better job on Brunson — Oubre had forced him down the baseline nicely for a missed midrange jumper. The Knicks still shot it well as a team going 65% in the first quarter. The Sixers’ offense still looked sloppy with Embiid smoking a fairly open layup. A pair of Maxey free throws pulled the Sixers within eight after the first.
Second Quarter
- The offensive process was a lot better to start the second, but it began with Oubre and Grimes missing wide open threes in the corner. Depending on which big the Knicks had out there Andre Drummond can make sense in this matchup, but asking him to chase KAT around the perimeter was a bit much. George did his best to keep them afloat with Maxey and Embiid both on the bench. He got stripped by Josh Hart, but he also hit a three and assisted to Oubre twice while the two of them were able to cause two turnovers as well.
- Maxey didn’t make his first field goal of the game until nearly halfway through the second. The only thing he and Embiid had really done well to that point was draw fouls, and they were able to get three on both Robinson and Towns. On the other end, the Knicks, mainly through pick-and-rolls, continued to torch the Sixers’ deep drop coverage.
- The Sixers may have been better off having Embiid roam off of Hart as opposed to guarding Towns on the perimeter, but Hart could have just as easily put him in space. It’s not like any Sixer could stay in front of anyone as they very much looked like a team that had just gone through a battle of a Game 7 48 hours prior. To make matters worse, Embiid really started to favor his midsection after Mikal Bridges hit him trying to fight through a screen.
- As the Knicks continued to pour on baskets, all the Sixers could manage was trying to keep the lead under 20. Brunson got going again when he was able to take on Embiid in space. He then got a three to bounce in and got Grimes in the air to draw a foul attempting another three. The Knicks only grabbed three offensive rebounds in the half but they all managed to be big, the last getting kicked out to Brunson for another three to put the Knicks up by 23 at the half.
Third Quarter
- Here were the first four possessions for the Sixers to start the second half: Oubre trying to fit a pocket pass to Embiid through three defenders that was easily stolen, an Oubre putback, a fast break Maxey could have found Edgecombe on but went for the layup himself and missed, and an Embiid pass to nowhere that was also easily stolen and taken back the other way. Five minutes into the quarter and the Knicks had pushed their lead to 30.
- Edgecombe was able to pick on Brunson to get to the basket on a couple of possessions, something the Sixers’ backcourt probably should have started doing much earlier in the game. George was able to draw an and-1 on Towns but those were the lone positives.
- Nick Nurse threw the white flag with five minutes left in the quarter. Dominick Barlow checked into the game for the first time and Edwards got his first minutes that weren’t just meant to foul Mitchell Robinson. Barlow might actually be a decent option to guard Towns in future games this series, but KAT was only in for one possession by the time Barlow got in the game, so there wasn’t a chance to see it here. The Sixers trailed by 31 heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
- Well, if Adem Bona’s shift in garbage time was anything to go off of, Drummond probably was the better option at backup five anyways. In his 3:47 minute shift he played he picked up five fouls, three of which were offensive fouls. The Sixers may need to get experimental with their bigs in this series and Bona will have to be playable to do so.
- A night off early might be better for them in the long run, it may be the only thing that can recharge their legs at this point in the season. If the effort is similar in Game 2 that would be very alarming, to put it mildly.
