The Philadelphia 76ers are hosting the New York Knicks in South Philly on Friday night, hoping to get started on another comeback series victory after their first-round series victory over the Celtics. With Joel Embiid and OG Anunoby listed as questionable and Josh Hart as probable, it's anyone's guess how this one will play out.
Who: New York Knicks (2-0) at Philadelphia 76ers (0-2)
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: Prime Video, FUBO
Joel Embiid's uncertain status could be a nail in the coffin, with the expected return of Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. The Sixers absolutely need Embiid on the court if they're going to make a comeback in this series.
While the Sixers didn't play poorly in Wednesday night's 108-102 loss, the team simply ran out of gas late in the fourth quarter. After Kelly Oubre's three-pointer gave the team a 99-96 lead with just under seven minutes left in the game, the Sixers managed just three points for the rest of the game. It's not hard to see why the team was tired, with four starters all playing over 40 minutes.
The Sixers' lack of depth, combined with their light rotation, exhausted them in the fourth quarter. Justin Edwards, who's played well and has a desirable combination of length, defensive awareness and scoring ability, didn't see the court. The one positive that came out of Adem Bona and Andre Drummond getting into foul trouble was the insertion of Dominick Barlow, who guarded the whole court, made all three of his shots, and played a valuable role in keeping the Sixers in the game.
The Knicks weren't the same team we watched blow out opponents in their previous four games, but they also did all the little things they needed to get the second victory of the series. While the team had 13 turnovers, they forced the Sixers into 18, but the big difference was that the Sixers scored only nine points off the Knicks' turnovers, while the Knicks scored 23 points off the Sixers' turnovers. The Knicks also absolutely terrorized the Sixers in the paint, outscoring their opponent 56-30 and dragging Drummond and Bona into early foul trouble.
If the Sixers play as they did on Wednesday and their coach decides to actually give his stars a rest at some point in the game, they could pull out a victory at home and claw their way back into the series. If Joel Embiid can play, the style and performance will completely change, and the Sixers could truly run away with the game.
Without Embiid, while the Knicks will have Robinson returning, the game could get out of control quickly. Nurse has to find a way to rotate his lineup while balancing the offense, even for a little bit during the game, if the team is to have any chance of surviving, with or without Embiid.
With Maxey and Edgecombe on the court, there will be plenty of highlights and acrobatics, but the guards should focus on getting to the basket for easier points than the off-balance or contested threes that they've often had to settle for. Driving the ball, drawing fouls from the Knicks, and getting the game down to their own pace should be key. If they allow the Knicks to control the tempo, they'll be run into the ground and out of gas at the end of the game, again.
Sixers 113 - Knicks 109
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