Knicks
If Friday’s NBA Cup game taught the Knicks anything, it’s that the Philadelphia 76ers will be a thorn in their side all season long. Hoping to return the favor after an Opening Night loss two weeks prior, the Knicks couldn’t overcome LeBron James’s team.
With a 98-93 loss in Philadelphia, the Knicks fell to 2-4. They started last season 2-3, including a loss in their first NBA Cup game, so Mike Brown’s crew is in familiar territory. They still won the NBA Cup last year. They even won the NBA Finals despite struggling in the opening round.
So, there is little to worry about. The Knicks will surely bounce back. However, they cannot expect to overcome multi-point deficits in every game. They need to start faster and assert themselves early. Relying on comebacks every night is unsustainable.
On Friday night, the Knicks trailed by as many as 14 points. They led 3-2 in the opening minute and came back with 92 seconds left in regulation, when Jalen Brunson drained a clutch three-pointer. But this 76ers team, even without Jaylen Brown on Friday, is too talented and experienced to blow big leads.
Brunson’s triple put the Knicks up 90-89, capping a 12-4 run. The Knicks held onto the ball much better than usual, but still committed 13 turnovers for 23 points. The Sixers kept the Knicks out of the paint, forcing Josh Hart to take seven of his nine shot attempts from behind the three-point line.
“We all feel the fatigue,” said Hart, whose -10 rating was the worst on the Knicks. “We’ve got to fight through it. Six games in, we have to find a way to make sure we get our bodies ready to play every day. I think mentally, we’re there. We’ve just got to find it physically.”
Fatigue? That’s uncharacteristic coming from Hart. Unironically, Hart is the Knicks’ heart. He always fills out the box score, but he hasn’t had a signature game yet this season, mainly because of Karl-Anthony Towns.
Now, here’s a guy who isn’t feeling fatigued. Playing with a chip on his shoulder because the Knicks haven’t agreed to a contract extension, Towns has recorded a triple-double in all six games this season. On Friday, he posted 22 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes without fouling.
But KAT took seven of his 15 shots from three-point range, a testament to Philadelphia’s interior defense. He didn’t dig into the paint enough to draw contact. Overall, the Knicks took 41 of their 86 shots (48%) from behind the line.
The paint metrics were pretty even; Philadelphia had a 36-34 edge. However, that is not much interior offense for the Knicks, who play best when they grind their way to the hoop. If Hart’s assessment is accurate, the Knicks would have played harder if they were less “fatigued.”
Hart was the first Knicks player to say he wanted to put last season in the rearview mirror and focus on winning another championship. Yet, he’s tired. “We’re trying to work our way into the season, but I think the flow is tougher,” Hart said. “Sometimes the ball is stagnant. I think that’s a little bit from fatigue and not a mental thing.
“You know what the other team is doing, and physically, you’re trying to get your body to get to that point. I think that’s part of it. We’ve got to be more deliberate with cuts and movements, and with taking care of the ball.”
By “fatigue,” Hart could mean that the team is still struggling to get off the championship high. Therefore, it’s harder to beat unfamiliar opponents like the upgraded 76ers, very different from the team the Knicks swept in the playoffs. That team didn’t have LeBron.
Thanks to James, the Sixers fended off the Knicks’ comeback attempt. After Brunson’s go-ahead fourth-quarter shot with 1:32 remaining, James put the Sixers back ahead with a fadeaway jumper. VJ Edgecombe followed with a three, and James’s tip-in sealed the game with 11.9 seconds left.
Brown pinned OG Anunoby, the Knicks’ best defender, against James, but he still scored 20 points. “He’s a great player,” Brown said of James. “When you have a great player out there, with his ability, he’s gonna make plays, and he made big plays down the stretch.”
The Knicks will try to get back in the win column tonight against the Brooklyn Nets (7:30 PM, 6:30 PM CDT – MSG, YES, DAZN). The Knicks have won 14 straight games against their Brooklyn rivals.
Schedule
6:30 PM (5:30 PM CST): Yankees Hot Stove; YES, DAZN
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CST): NYK vs. BKN; MSG, YES, DAZN
8:15 PM (7:15 PM CST): Monday Night Football (MNF), Week 8 – Chicago Bears (5-2) at Seattle Seahawks (4-3); ESPN, ESPN App
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): Progressive Monday Night Kickoff; ESPN, ESPN App
