The 76ers battled through another short handed game, but unfortunately fell to the New York Knicks 103-96. Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and Isaiah Joe tonight and still made it a close game.

Andre Drummond led the charge for the 76ers tonight all over the floor, scoring 14 points but more impressively pulling in 25 rebounds. Drummond stepped in and played 38 minutes in Embiid’s absence and this will be a consistent theme for as long as it takes for Embiid to come back. Earlier today the 76ers star tested positive for COVID-19 and will likely be out for ten days.

Tyrese Maxey was a huge part of the effort in this game with 16 points, five assists and nine rebounds. Maxey still gets no respect from the officials which is frustrating, but should hopefully change as he becomes a more recognizable name in the league. I loved his willingness to expand the range tonight, going 3/6 from deep.

Furkan Korkmaz added 19 points in this one, and was relied on heavily for minutes, playing the second most on the team with 41. Korkmaz was not shy with the trigger, taking 12 triples and making five. Georges Niang and Shake Milton started off slow on the bench, but combined for 25 points, but were just a combined 1/8 from deep.

For New York, Julius Randle had a phenomenal showing with 31 points, making five threes on just ten attempts. Everyone else for the Knicks was okay but Randle’s big night helped them pull away and hand the 76ers their fourth loss this season. Philadelphia faces a short turnaround after tonight’s loss and will be back at it again against the Bucks tomorrow evening. With how this team has been battling COVID, they will likely be heavily shorthanded once again in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup.

Mandatory Credit: Associated Press