PLAYER GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 108, New York Knicks 105
The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off Sunday afternoon with a victory. Can the Eagles follow suit?
Traveling to New York for a Sunday matinee, the Philadelphia 76ers were on track for a blowout victory in the first half. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid set the tone early, with the former pushing the pace and whipping on-target, on-time passes.
The Sixers led by as many as 24 in the second quarter, holding onto a solid 16-point margin at halftime. It appeared as though Brett Brown’s squad would seize a much-needed easy win ahead of their brutal upcoming schedule.
But, per usual, the Sixers had to make it interesting. The Knicks outscored Philadelphia by 15 in the third quarter, trimming the lead to one behind strong outings from Luke Kornet and Kevin Knox.
Embiid was especially off late in the third, letting missed calls affect his performance on defense. It culminated in a late flagrant foul on Kornet, contributing to the less-than-ideal collapse. The Sixers were up 83-82 entering the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia managed to put things back on track in the fourth, though, starting the quarter on a 7-0 run. Simmons was magnificent all night, aggressively getting to the rim and facilitating the offense. The Knicks, who were missing Enes Kanter, Mitchell Robinson and Tim Hardaway Jr., didn’t have an answer.
The Knicks were still able to get some clutch buckets to fall down the stretch, with Knox tallying a career-high 31 points in the process. Kornet put up 23 of his own, looking surprisingly effective against Embiid on both ends.
Talent won out and the Sixers took control late, but it was a strong showing for a young, injury-riddled Knicks squad.
A. <strong>37 mins | 20 pts | 22 reb | 9 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 10-13 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-2 FT | 4 PF | +7 |</strong><p>Simmons was aggressive from the opening tip, pushing the tempo and orchestrating the offense to perfection. He was also crashing the boards, which translated to several transition opportunities and a career-high 21 rebounds. Headband Simmons remains elite, and the Sixers should <em><strong>definitely not</strong></em> trade that man.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS
JOEL EMBIID. C+. <strong>32 mins | 26 pts | 8 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 6 blk | 2 TO | 9-24 FG | 0-2 3PT| 8-12 FT | 4 PF | -3 |</strong><p>Embiid had some special moments, including one sequence in which he scored in the post, erased <a rel=. C. Philadelphia 76ers
SF. Philadelphia 76ers. JIMMY BUTLER. C-. <strong>28 mins | 16 pts | 8 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 7-15 FG | 0-0 3PT| 2-2 FT | 2 PF | +12 |</strong><p>Butler was quiet in the first half, scoring just six points and flying under the radar. He was more assertive in the third and fourth quarters, with varying degrees of success. His shot selection wasn’t ideal, but he came up with some important buckets to keep the Sixers ahead. On a few occasions, Butler passed up open threes for more challenging shots or passes.</p>
J.J. REDICK. B-. <strong>34 mins | 22 pts | 3 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 3 TO | 6-13 FG | 3-8 3PT| 7-8 FT | 4 PF | -8 |</strong><p>Redick returned from back tightness and played a big role in the Sixers running out to an early lead. He was less effective in the second half, but still managed to hit some big shots while working the two-man game with Embiid and Simmons.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers
PG. Philadelphia 76ers. T.J. MCCONNELL. C-. <strong>21 mins | 6 pts | 2 reb | 4 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 3-4 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | -1 |</strong><p>A quintessential McConnell game. He was aggressive in the first half, making nice reads, getting dribble penetration and nailing a couple mid-range jumpers. He would end up turning the ball over four times, though, and was ineffective against bigger guards on defense. He’s limited, but plays his role well.</p>
Jimmy Butler‘s performance was somewhat problematic. The Sixers made a clear effort to get him involved in the second half, and the results weren’t great. He was able to get going after a slow first half, but his tendency to rely on low-value shots hurt the offense at times.
It’s clear the fit between Butler and the core pieces is a work in progress, but the Sixers’ starting unit wasn’t the main issue tonight. Depth continues to decrease the stars’ margin for error.
The Sixers did have the full starting five available, which often hasn’t been the case in recent weeks. Embiid and Butler were game-time decisions but played, while Redick made his return from a two-game absence.
Next. Simmons, Green have same impact on spacing. dark
Now: Go Birds!