76ers fall flat against the Knicks, need to find footing without Embiid before season spirals out of control

Fresh out the gates from the All-Star Break, the Philadelphia 76ers put up a clunker against the New York Knicks last night in South Philadelphia, losing 110-96. 

The Sixers found themselves in a 26-point hole but managed to battle back in a hard fought third quarter before running out of gas in the final frame. 

Mad Max Off-Night, Still Drops 35 Points 

Tyrese Maxey was out there with the team and city of Philadelphia weighing heavily on his shoulders. Maxey put up 35 points as he continues to prove he’s the only Sixers player that can truly create his own scoring opportunities.

As they say…heavy is the head that wears the crown. With Embiid out, it’s The Maxey Show and last night he only managed to shoot 11-of-24 from the floor and 4-of-11 from three point range. 

Maxey’s face here is exactly how I looked last night:

TobiASS Harris Disappears Yet Again 

Tobias Harris yet again, was invisible. I know this is nothing new, but it’s incredibly frustrating to see Harris come up short when the Sixers need them the most.

And please, save me the “Tobias Harris has been hurt and he’s just rusty” narrative. He’s played in six out of the nine games this month so I really don’t want to see any excuses. 

The Sixers had zero offensive rhythm last night. Creating shots is extremely difficult for this team without Joel Embiid being the center of attention. It really doesn’t matter if “Tobias Harris is a rhythm player” either. He needs to find a way to be more efficient and contribute offensively. 

Playing 27 minutes and only scoring 7 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 3-of-9 from the floor and just 1-of-3 from three point range is almost laughable. 

Nic Batum Needs to Contribute Offensively 

Batum has been out of the Sixers’ lineup since January 29th with a hamstring injury. Last night, he looked slow and didn’t even attempt a single field goal last night while playing 18 minutes. He finished the game with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover – posting a miserable -12 from the floor. 

Paul Reed Disaster Tour Continues 

Honestly, Paul Reed’s lack of progression this season after getting a pretty big contract for a backup center has been nothing short of a disaster. Last night and pretty much every night that Embiid is out, Reed looks like he’s outmatched and continuously in foul trouble while making “rookie mistakes” on both ends of the floor. 

I understand that Paul Reed is still just 24 years old. However, when you sign a 3-year, $23.5 million contract, you are expected to be better than what we’ve seen this season. 

Kyle Lowry, As Expected a Proven Veteran 

Kyle Lowry made his Philadelphia 76ers debut last night and was efficient in 25 minutes of action. He shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 1-of-2 from three point range while notching four rebounds and five assists.

.@Klow7's first bucket as a Sixer is a BEAUT. pic.twitter.com/FJLmohbGyM

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 23, 2024

Pretty strong showing from the hometown “kid” and he will almost certainly prove valuable leading a young, inexperienced bench unit. 

Buddy Hield and Cam Payne 

The new guys, Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne were fine last night. My concern with Hield is still the same. He lacks the ability to create his own shots. Last night, he was 5-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-9 from three point range. It’s difficult to ask for much more from Hield. He finished with 14 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds on the night. 

As for Cam Payne – he shot 3-of-6 from the floor and knocked down his lone foul shot to finish the night with a very uninspiring 7 points. 

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I want more Ricky Council IV 

Slick Rick has appeared in 15 games this season, averaging 6 points over 9 minutes played per contest. Council is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 29 percent from three point range. He deserves more playing time – even more so when the Sixers looked gas late in the game against the Knicks. 

The 76ers Road Ahead 

Listen, I’m only being so critical of this Philadelphia 76ers team because they are in full survival mode. The fact that Nick Nurse came out and said his squad was unprepared and “not ready to go” when the final stretch of the season relies on this team winning games (especially at home) without Embiid to make the playoffs, that’s just not gonna work. Ever.

So the Sixers lost to the Knicks last night, a team that sits one spot ahead of them in the Eastern Conference Standings. Now on the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll face the Cleveland Cavaliers, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. 

The Bucks are in town on Sunday night before they hit the road to play the Celtics. The Sixers have to steal games over this stretch. Need to avoid falling out of the fifth seed at all costs.

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