PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers had their chances to knock off the New York Knicks on Thursday. They whittled a 26-point deficit down to just six with 8:52 to go, but the Knicks then recovered to win it 110-96.
It was a slow start that hurt the Sixers. They shot only 41.9% from the floor and 4-for-16 from deep in the first half compared to New York shooting 57.8% and 10-for-21 from deep as the Knicks built their lead.
When asked what was the cause for such a slow start, coach Nick Nurse did not hold back.
“Lack of focus,” Nurse said succinctly. “We just weren’t getting anything done on the defensive scheme side of things and they were just out playing a lot faster. A lot more physical. A lot harder. We were just—a lack of focus and lack of just being ready to go.”
The Sixers had a tough time getting anything out of the center spot. Paul Reed had a tough time contending with New York’s size as he was having to battle for rebounds against 7-footers such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims and Mo Bamba has been dealing with a bothersome knee injury that has limited him a bit on the floor.
Therefore, Nurse went small in the second half against the Knicks to climb back into things. Reed only played 6:17 after halftime and Bamba didn’t play at all. Going small allowed the Sixers to get back into things as the big men contributed to the slow start.
“I was just trying to figure out a lineup that could get something going on both ends of the ball and we were having a hard time guarding certain things and we were just trying different guys and then we’re having a harder time rebounding the ball and all that kind of stuff,” Nurse explained of his decision. “So it was just like trying to get some scoring out there. Trying to try some different guys and, obviously, it started going pretty good with those guys. So we stayed with it.”
As the Sixers now prepare to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, they will have to get off to a better start than they did on Thursday to give themselves a chance.
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