Category: 76ers

Sixers will continue to follow Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey as series shifts

The Philadelphia 76ers will continue to lean on star leaders Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the series now shifts to Philadelphia.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers are returning to the Wells Fargo Center down 2-0 in this first-round playoff series with the New York Knicks. They had their chances in both games 1 and 2, but were not able to walk away with the victory.

The positives for Philadelphia are the play of star duo Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. In the Game 2 loss on Monday, the duo combined for 69 points, 19 rebounds and 16 assists. They were able to have that type of production despite Embiid dealing with a variety of injuries and Maxey dealing with an illness.

As the series shifts to the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers continue to lean on their star leaders, starting with Embiid.

“Very good,” coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. “I thought he was excellent. Really outstanding.”

It is admirable to see Embiid play as well as he did despite the obvious pain that he’s in. Not only is the knee bothering him, but he was hit in the eye in Game 1 and is dealing with that as well. He has had a couple of dominant games to start this series for Philadelphia.

“It’s all mental,” Embiid added. “Obviously, it’s not the best-case scenario, but I’m good. No excuses. Play good or play bad, got to find a way to win.”

Then, there’s Maxey who fought through an illness that required him to have an IV. He delivered 35 points, including 15 coming in the fourth. It appeared his heroics would be enough before the unfortunate final 30 seconds for Philadelphia.

“He was ballin,” said Tobias Harris of Maxey. “That’s who he is and he made huge shot after huge shot for us. A game like that, you wanna get a victory for those types of performances and him just fighting through sickness and being there for the group. We’ll be fine. We just gotta keep our composure, stay level-headed, and be ready.”

The Sixers are down 2-0 and their prospects look rather bleak, but Philadelphia will lean on Embiid and Maxey to get back into this series. Being back in the friendly confines of the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday should help.

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Officials didn’t help, but Sixers played into their own demise in Game 2

The officials didn’t help the situation, but the Philadelphia 76ers played into their own demise in the Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers had it. They had Game 2 against the New York Knicks in their grasp.

Tyrese Maxey hit a 3 with 1:09 left to put Philadelphia up four. The Sixers then produced a stop, and Kyle Lowry made a free-throw to put Philadelphia up five with 47.3 seconds to go.

Then, chaos.

Jalen Brunson made a side-step triple that hit the front of the rim and bounced into the air before dropping to pull New York within two, 101-99.

The Sixers then had trouble getting the ball in. Nick Nurse claimed he called timeout and the officials didn’t grant him one. It also appeared Maxey was fouled by Brunson on the inbounds pass. He didn’t get a call.

Maxey lost the ball in the corner. New York’s Josh Hart picked it up and found Donte DiVincenzo wide-open on the wing. He missed the 3-point attempt, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound and the ball found DiVincenzo for a 3 to give the Knicks a 102-101 lead with 13.0 seconds left on their way to a 104-101 win.

Two separate things can be true:

  • The officials messed up and didn’t help the situation. Philadelphia has every right to file that grievance with the league.
  • If the Sixers had just grabbed a rebound off the DiVincenzo miss, they would have won the game and rendered everything else pointless.

Afterward, Joel Embiid ripped the officials and guaranteed the Sixers would win this series against the Knicks. The sentiment is great. Philadelphia should want its leader to speak like this. However, the Sixers played into their own demise.

A big factor was once again rebounding. Philadelphia did a great job of rebounding overall compared to Game 1, but it came down to Hartenstein crashing and grabbing the critical rebound. That led to the DiVincenzo go-ahead 3. If the Sixers grab that rebound, then they win the game.

The Sixers are not out of this series. At all. They’re down 2-0, but they have two huge games at home that they have to win. Philadelphia has been right there in both games 1 and 2.

The excuses and blaming the officiating have to stop. The Sixers had their chance in Game 2. Even with the chaotic possession, DiVincenzo missed that initial triple. The Sixers needed to grab that rebound and that would have won the game.

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Stephen A. Smith defends Tyrese Maxey, Sixers after Game 2 loss

Stephen A. Smith defends Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers after their Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks.

The Philadelphia 76ers had Game 2 in their grasp. Tyrese Maxey drilled a 3-pointer to put Philadelphia up 100-96 to silence Madison Square Garden, and it appeared the Sixers would even the series.

Then, the Sixers had trouble getting the ball inbounds. It appeared Maxey was fouled by Knicks star Jalen Brunson, but there was no call, and Philadelphia ended up turning the ball over. That led to New York’s Donte DiVincenzo knocking down a 3 to give the Knicks the lead for good with 13.0 seconds left. The Sixers fell, 104-101, and are down 2-0 in the series.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, a known Knicks fan, defended Maxey and the Sixers after the Game 2 loss and blasted the officiating:

I saw Tyrese Maxey get mugged if I’m being totally honest. He got fouled at least two or three (times). There’s no reason on Earth why that call shouldn’t have been made. It wasn’t made, unfortunately for the Sixers. If you’re a New York Knicks fan, it’s not unfortunate. Donte DiVincenzo got another opportunity, he took advantage of it, and the New York Knicks are up 2-0.

It’s extremely unfortunate for the Sixers, but the Knicks did what they were supposed to do, which is win two games at home. The Sixers must do the same thing when the series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.

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Nic Batum admits Sixers should have won Game 2, ready for a fight

Nic Batum admits the Philadelphia 76ers should have won Game 2, but he’s ready for a fight the rest of the way.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers missed a golden opportunity to win Game 2 against the New York Knicks on Monday night Tyrese Maxey gave Philadelphia a 100-96 lead with 1:09 left, but the Knicks had a miraculous comeback to win it 104-101.

Of course, there was controversy over the chaotic possession that gave the Knicks the lead. It appeared Maxey was fouled on the inbounds pass after the Jalen Brunson 3, and it also appeared that coach Nick Nurse had called timeout.

The Sixers did not receive a call in either instance, and New York ended up taking the lead off an offensive rebound — a Donte DiVincenzo triple with 13.0 seconds left.

“The shot he made was a tough shot,” Nic Batum said. “Brunson’s shot was a tough shot. Like, step aside, bounce one, get in, and out of bounds, like, I don’t know what happened. I gotta watch the replay. We called timeout, we don’t have it. I don’t really know what happened so I won’t speculate on that, but we should have won that game. We did not.”

With that being said, the Sixers are still breathing. The series now shifts to the Wells Fargo Center and Philadelphia has to be able to give a big response.

“We still got a chance,” said Batum. “We’re not down 0-4. We’re down 0-2. They did their job at home. It’s on us to do the same thing back home.”

The Knicks have proven to be a very tough and physical team through the first two games of this series. As the series shifts, that isn’t going to change. New York will still bring a fight that Philadelphia will have to match.

Being in the league as long as Batum has, he knows and understands that the Sixers will have to be ready. They have to forget about Game 2 and move on.

“You have to,” Batum finished. “Like I said, it’s a tough one. It’s a tough one, but you gotta move on. You gotta move on. We had a chance to win those two. A tough environment. A tough arena on the road. Now we go home and we get two days to rest, correct a couple stuff, and it’ll be another fight. They’re not going to give up. It should be another big game.”

Game 3 is on Thursday night in South Philadelphia.

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Tobias Harris discusses Sixers’ Game 2 loss to Knicks, how to move on

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris discusses the Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks and how they can move on from the heartbreaker.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers took a heartbreaking 104-101 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their Round 1 series on Monday night on the road. Philadelphia led 100-96 with 1:09 left, but saw it slip away.

The Sixers had a turnover on the inbounds pass with 27.1 seconds left while up 101-99 which proved to be costly. New York’s Donte DiVincenzo missed an open triple, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound to kick back out to DiVincenzo for the go-ahead triple with 13.0 seconds left. It was a shocking turn of events that ignited Madison Square Garden.

“Just a costly turnover for us that led to a heartbreaking basket,” said Tobias Harris. “I thought we did a really good job tonight of getting ourselves in the game and putting ourselves in good position to win the game. Those last 30 seconds or whatever is where the game changed right then and there and we needed to be better. It didn’t happen so we just gotta chalk this one up, figure out ways to get better from it, and be ready to go home and get a victory.”

One could make the case the Sixers should be up 2-0 in this series. Philadelphia had its chances in both Game 1 and Game 2, but couldn’t put the game away. As the Sixers now head back home for the next two games, the focus has to be on getting the job done and closing games out.

“Just get back in the gym and get ready,” Harris added. “I mean, it’s the playoffs. There are no moral victories and no one’s gonna feel sorry for us so we gotta figure out ways to get better and figure out ways to get our first win and get this thing home.”

There are positives that the Sixers can take from Game 2. The fact that they had the game in their hands before letting it slip away is something they can take as a learning experience and get ready for two hugely important games at home.

“We had great spurts tonight of staying with it,” Harris added. “Staying composed all night, coming back, and really fighting and weathering the storm, the ups and downs of the game. I thought we were physical tonight. We were physical on the glass. We pushed them into different positions to make tough shots, to shoot tough shots as well, so we gotta stay with that. Stay with the defensive physicality, and close the game out, and get ready.”

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Tyrese Maxey gives his perspective on final possession of Game 2 loss

Tyrese Maxey gives his perspective on what happened on the chaotic possession in the Game 2 loss for the Philadelphia 76ers.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers had their opportunity in Game 2 against the New York Knicks on Monday. Tyrese Maxey hit a step-back 3 to give Philadelphia a 100-96 lead with 1:09 left to silence the Madison Square Garden crowd as it appeared the Sixers had it wrapped up.

Then, chaos ensued. Jalen Brunson pulled the Knicks to within two, 101-99, with 27.1 seconds left before Philadelphia had trouble getting the ball in. Maxey appeared to be fouled twice on the inbounds pass. However, there was no call and he ended up turning the ball over in the corner.

New York’s Donte DiVincenzo missed a wing triple. Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to DiVincenzo for an open triple. The Knicks walked away with a 104-101 win to take a 2-0 series lead.

“I don’t remember,” Maxey said. “I just tried to get the ball. We threw it inbounds. It was hard for me to catch it. I had to sweep through a couple guys. I tried. I tried my best.”

A lot of the focus after Game 2 will be on the officiating. After all, the Sixers are filing a grievance to the league about what happened in both Game 1 and Game 2. However, if Philadelphia had just grabbed a rebound off DiVincenzo’s first missed triple, things would have been different.

“Just got to rebound,” Maxey said. “I can’t turn the ball over. I can’t lose the ball and we’ve got to get the rebound.”

Maxey had 35 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, to try and lift the Sixers to a Game 2 win. It’s unfortunate when considering he was playing through an illness that has been bothering him for a bit since Game 1 of this series.

“I don’t feel great at all, honestly,” he stated. “I don’t like taking medicine. Everybody knows that. I really can’t stand taking medicine, but I took medicine. I had to take an IV. I did whatever they asked me to do. I wasn’t missing the game. It didn’t matter. I don’t feel great.”

Maxey and the Sixers will have to find a way now to bounce back from one of the more heartbreaking losses they have ever had to go through and prepare for Game 3 on Thursday.

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Former Sixers guard JJ Redick to interview for Hornets coaching job

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard JJ Redick is going to interview for the coaching opening for the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets are searching for a new coach following the decision by Steve Clifford to step down. Clifford returned to the Hornets for two seasons following a stint in Charlotte from the 2013-14 season through the 2017-18 season.

The Hornets will have plenty of names to look at for the position, but an interesting name popped up that fans of the Philadelphia 76ers know very well: JJ Redick.

Redick spent two seasons with the Sixers and averaged 17.6 points while shooting 40.7% from deep. He was a great complement to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as he was the perfect floor spacer for them.

Redick will now interview for the opening for the Hornets and attempt to bring his basketball knowledge to Buzz City.

At the moment, Redick is a basketball analyst for ESPN and is one of the sharpest basketball minds in the game. It will be interesting to see if he lands the job for the Hornets.

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Sixers expecting a more aggressive Jalen Brunson in Game 2 vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers are expecting a more aggressive Jalen Brunson in Game 2 against the New York Knicks.

NEW YORK — As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for Game 2 with the New York Knicks on Monday night, they know the challenge that is presented to them. The Knicks will continue to be who they are which is an aggressive physical team and the Sixers also know what Jalen Brunson brings to the table.

The Sixers held Brunson to just 8-for-26 shooting in their Game 1 loss to the Knicks on Saturday. He still had 22 points with seven assists and seven rebounds, but overall, one has to like what Philadelphia did defensively against New York’s superstar leader.

“It’s not easy to stop that guy, but I think we did a good job,” said Nic Batum. “We expect him to be more aggressive tomorrow. I don’t think he’s going to be happy with an 8-for-26 so he’s gonna try and correct that so everybody guarding him will have to do a better job tomorrow. We’ll do it as a team as well and see what happens.”

Overall, if the Sixers can play the same type of defense in Game 2 that they brought in Game 1, then one has to like their chances. Philadelphia was terrific on that end of the floor. They held Brunson in check, but the Sixers couldn’t finish possessions with a rebound. That’s the only real flaw that Philadelphia needs to figure out.

On offense, the Sixers just need to figure out how to survive the minutes without Joel Embiid, but that comes with ball movement.

“I think the defense was pretty good, though,” Batum added. “I think the defense was pretty good so we just gotta keep playing the same defense. We gotta finish plays now. We gotta finish plays. They got a lot of offensive rebounds. They missed a lot of shots. Mostly because of our defense sometimes so we got to play the same defense and maybe better finish the plays. On offense, just keep sharing the ball. Joel and Tyrese (Maxey) had a great game and guys around them gotta be better.”

The Sixers will make their adjustments. The Knicks will make adjustments of their own. That’s what happens in these playoff series.

“It’s something about the playoffs that’s different,” Batum added. “Sometimes you have to do something different and maybe we will tomorrow (Game 2).”

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Sixers’ Tobias Harris watched a lot of film looking to be more aggressive

Tobias Harris sat down and had a big film session as he looks to be more aggressive on offense for the Philadelphia 76ers.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers will go as far as Joel Embiid takes them. That has always been the case, but other proven pieces on this roster need to step up and produce.

One of those pieces is Tobias Harris. The much-maligned forward has drawn the ire of the city of Philadelphia and he didn’t help his case in the Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks. He took only seven shots to score seven points and nine rebounds.

That performance sent Harris to the film room to sit down and figure out ways he can be better in this series moving forward.

“Obviously, you gotta take what the game gives you,” said Harris at shootaround on Monday morning. “For somebody like me, you sit down, you watch the film, you see if there’s different areas out there that you can be more aggressive, but for the most part, just evaluating.”

Coach Nick Nurse is a brilliant basketball mind and he will find ways to get Harris involved on the offensive end. On an off day on Sunday, Nurse and the Sixers sat down and went through the film as Harris looks to find his spots and opportunities on offense.

“A lot of it, I’m going into the games with the mindset of being aggressive and trying to make plays and be active on the offensive end, but also that comes into play with what coach was saying to us yesterday just creating different variability on the offensive end,” Harris continued. “Different looks and not being too predictable with what we’re doing.”

On the flip side, Harris has always been a rhythm player. Always. He is not going to demand the ball or disrupt any of the team’s offensive sets. He has always been a guy who will play within what the team wants to do and then take advantage of his opportunities. That’s why a film session is important in this instance: to find more opportunities.

“At the end of the day, though, for myself personally, watch the film and figure out areas where you think you could be a little bit more aggressive and whatnot and try to get some things going, but I’ve always been a player that takes what the game is giving to me,” he continued. “I’m not out there passing up shots.”

Harris is a player who needs the ball in his spots on the floor. He will be aggressive and continue to look for his spots to contribute. The Knicks are a physical defensive team and threw him off his spots in Game 1. That has to change.

“I would love to be as aggressive as I need to be, but I also saw a few areas where I probably could have pulled the shot and it’s, like, if we’re talking to just get that type of rhythm, that flow, that may be what’s needed,” he finished. “Then I’ll make that adjustment.”

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Complete injury report for Tyrese Maxey, Sixers in Game 2 vs. Knicks

Here is the complete injury report for Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers as they get set to face the New York Knicks in Game 2.

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of preparing for Game 2 of their Round 1 series with the New York Knicks, but there are some injury concerns for Philadelphia heading into Monday’s contest.

De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) both remain out for Game 2. One has to assume that Melton could return at some point in this series if he continues to progress in a positive direction.

Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery) is listed as questionable. He had the same listing heading into Game 1 before giving it a go, but he did have a scare in the first half when he took a hard fall on the knee.

Tyrese Maxey will also join them on the injury report as he’s listed as questionable due to an illness. He did not participate in Monday morning’s shootaround.

If Embiid and Maxey can’t go, then the Sixers will continue to rely on others. However, when considering the magnitude of this contest, one has to assume that both will give it everything they have to give it a go.

Tip off from Madison Square Garden is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT.

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