The New York Knicks earned their ninth consecutive win on New Yr’s Day, however the momentum has not carried over into the remainder of January.
Since that victory to open the calendar 12 months, the Knicks have misplaced 5 of seven upfront of a Wednesday matchup in opposition to the host Philadelphia 76ers, who’re equally hungry for a win.
New York is coming off a 124-119 house defeat to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Three gamers had double-doubles for the Knicks: Jalen Brunson with 31 factors and 11 assists, Karl-Anthony Cities with 26 factors and 12 rebounds, and Josh Hart with 12 factors and 14 boards.
The Knicks shot nicely from the sphere (50.0 p.c), the 3-point arc (40.5 p.c) and the foul line (82.8 p.c), however they had been unable to get sufficient stops in opposition to Cade Cunningham and the bettering Pistons. Cunningham put up 36 factors, and 5 of his teammates scored in double figures.
“Offense wasn’t the issue tonight,” Brunson mentioned. “Defensively, we simply gave them a whole lot of confidence.”
The Knicks have given up no less than 100 factors in 9 of their final 10 video games, together with particular person video games during which they allowed 132, 117, 139, 126 and 124 factors.
“Defensively, we have to be higher,” Hart mentioned. “Yeah, we have simply acquired to be higher.”
The Knicks haven’t gained back-to-back video games because the finish of the profitable streak, a convincing victory over the Utah Jazz on Jan 1. On the intense aspect, they are going to play seven of their subsequent eight video games at house after the Wednesday contest.
“We’re dropping video games I really feel like we should not be dropping,” Hart mentioned. “We have got to begin figuring it out. We’re midway by way of. There’s nothing we are able to do in regards to the first half now. But when we wish to be the group we’re attempting to be on the finish of the season, we have to begin correcting stuff now.”
The Sixers have shared that mindset all season, as they’ve handled accidents to key gamers on Opening Evening and almost each sport since then. Their well being state of affairs reached a brand new low Tuesday once they performed with out eight of their high 10 gamers (when it comes to minutes per sport) in a 118-102 loss to the visiting Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
“I all the time play who’s obtainable,” mentioned Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse, including that he did not have an replace on the standing of Joel Embiid (foot), Tyrese Maxey (hand) or Paul George (ankle) for the Wednesday affair.
Within the meantime, the Sixers coach was compelled to present heavy minutes to gamers akin to Justin Edwards and Jeff Dowtin Jr., each of whom produced career-high level totals on Tuesday (25 and 18, respectively). Edwards and Ricky Council IV each performed greater than 35 minutes in opposition to the Thunder.
“For essentially the most half, a few of these guys performed fairly good, performed fairly arduous and executed fairly nicely,” Nurse mentioned.
Maxey has missed seven video games this season, whereas George has sat out 12 video games. Embiid, the previous NBA MVP, has solely appeared in 13 of 38 contests.
“You are taking just a little little bit of a intestine punch (whenever you discover out that these guys will not play) and then you definately regroup and work out the beginning lineups … and go play,” Nurse mentioned.
The Wednesday sport is the second of 4 conferences between the groups this season. The visiting Knicks topped the Sixers 111-99 on Nov. 12 as OG Anunoby scored 24 factors.
–Subject Stage Media
