The Sixer Sense
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Game Preview – Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks

By Rich Martirez

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Philadelphia 76ers (1-18) @ New York Knicks (8-10), 7:30pm, Madison Square Garden

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off of the first win of the season against the LA Lakers last night, and are playing tonight in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. The game was an emotional one in Philadelphia last night, as Philly was the first away stop in Kobe Bryant‘s farewell tour where he received an uproarious applause along with chants of “Kobe!” all through the night. Moses Malone was also remembered with his own halftime ceremony and the Philly players wore warmups with his number along with his nickname, Chairman of the Boards.

The Knicks are coming off of a loss against the Houston Rockets in an overtime game where James Harden came up big for the Rockets, getting 26 points and nine assists. On the Knicks side, Arron Afflalo had his best game of the season, netting 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the losing effort. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis had a big game himself, getting 20 points and 13 boards, and is averaging 17.0 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game in his last five games, giving fellow rook Jahlil Okafor a run for his money on the Rookie of the Year race.

This will be a tight matchup with the Sixers searching for another win on the season and the Knicks fighting to get into the early playoff picture.

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What To Watch For

What comes first, the energy rush from last night’s win or the sluggishness that comes with playing a back-to-back? As a young team, Philly needs to realize that there are no easy opponents and momentum can swing one way or the other very quickly in this league; as big as last night’s win was, they can’t just expect more.

This comes down to the job of Brett Brown to keep his players motivated and playing hard. So far in the season this has not been a problem, but the players were also playing for pride when the wins did not come. While I have full faith that the troops will be ready for this game, don’t be surprised if there’s a lethargic start that the Sixers need to fight their way out of.

They were able to overcome it last night, but this is not something to make a habit out of.

Next: Top 30 Memorable Philadelphia 76ers Moments Of All Time

Final Take

Philly is coming off of a high from last night with all of the celebrations going on. There was a true emotional rush from many of the players, mainly Robert Covington, who helped give Kobe a hard time, and Jerami Grant, who had some spectacular defensive plays to spark the 76ers in the final frame. It will take much more than just those two to overcome the Knicks, who last played on Sunday and are well-rested.

Prediction – The high from last night carries over into tonight, with Philly notching a win and starting a winning streak. Like Coach Brown said, we want to get greedy!

Where To Catch The Game

  • CSN Philly is broadcasting the game.
  • 97.5 has the game on the radio.
  • NBA League Pass is available for anyone out of market or anyone who needs to stream