Funviralpark Still, in perhaps the biggest regular season stage the league has to offer, Sixers franchise players were content to play on the sidelines.
After the Sixers secured a defensive rebound, Embiid pointed at Jorge Niang. Embiid makes him more than $30 million more per season than Niang, but he understood that his teammates played a key role in crippling the Knicks’ defense. . Specifically, New York’s Julius Randle had problems defensively every time Niang set the screen for James Harden. There, Embiid pointed to a man known as “The Minivan.”
With the same pick-and-pop action from the previous possession, Nyan hits again with a 3-pointer. Harden drew two of his defenders and Niang quickly moved the ball to Dianthony his Melton when Jalen Brunson rotated his opponent to help Randle. Then, after Melton drove in and kicked the ball back to Niang, his shooter went wide open for the Sixers’ season-leading 3-pointer.
Embiid liked what he saw. Embiid spread his arms in anticipation as the second Nyan fired. As the ball hit the net, Embiid walked over to the corner and shouted at the New York crowd. He knew the timeout was coming, just as he knew the 3-pointer was coming seconds before.
The Sixers beat the Knicks 119-112 on the Christmas matinee, extended their winning streak to eight games, and extended their overall record to 20-12 and continue to climb. And with an overwhelming level of offensiveness and a particular sequence in which his talent chooses from a menu of enticing options, it makes one wonder how the Sixers got to this point.
It’s no surprise that the Sixers would find themselves in this position at Christmas. Heading into the season, the Sixers’ blueprint for success was “an elite offense, a slightly above-average defense.” Even after beating the Knicks on Sunday, the Sixers are averaging just 113.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, placing him 14th in the league.
But what about this offensive force on display in the garden? It wasn’t your average attacking unit.
Some of the so-so offensive achievements this season have come down to Embiid, Harden and Tyrese Maxey losing a good deal of time to injuries (Maxie has been in a slump after breaking his leg five weeks ago). not yet entered). Now, at least Embiid and Harden are both rounded into shape as we approach the halfway point of the season.
Dominating for nearly two months, Embiid shrugged off an uncharacteristically rough first half by scoring 35 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field against the Knicks. After relying on his line to keep afloat on the free throws, Embiid found his rhythm as he returned from his locker room after halftime. He made it look easy in the second half, shooting 8-of-12.
The Knicks played in single coverage against the Sixers’ star big man. Mitchell Robinson is a strong defender, but on this play, Embiid casually takes him down the lane and hooks his shot over him.
As the game progressed, Embiid became more patient with waiting for help defense and scoring. When the Knicks’ defense showed help, Embiid found his play three points off PJ Tucker. Now that Embiid has improved his vision on passing and flooring, there’s no better way to defend him.
Harden saved one of the best offensive games of the season on the big stage, finishing with 29 points, 13 assists and just one turnover. Harden’s numbers have been great since he stumbled in Houston in his first game coming back from injury: he has 21.6 points and he has 12.8 assists per game on 61% true shooting. Harden’s scoring kept the Sixers afloat on Sunday when Embiid was resting. Achieved. It was mostly Harden’s job.
Shot 5 of 11 on 3-pointers and 10 of 11 from the free throw line. Ball He flew some deep threes when he picked off Randle and other Knicks weaker defenders during screen action.
Of course, the game wouldn’t have been fun if the Sixers hadn’t waited until the fourth quarter to stop the Knicks offense. This is another confusing end to the Sixers season so far. The Sixers have ranked him fifth in points per 100 possessions allowed this season, which is an excellent feat. But when the Knicks scored 95 points in his three quarters, he didn’t feel like he was watching one of the league’s elite units.
The main stat that puts the 76ers’ high defensive rankings into question is that, last in the NBA, their opponents only shot 32.7 across the arc. There’s good reason to believe that at least part of his shooting that cold is a break of luck in the direction of the Sixers, not what Philly is doing to limit his looks with his three points open. I have. The Knicks, especially Branson and Randle, got whatever they wanted in isolation for the long stretch of the game. Consistently dribbling and collecting dust.
The Sixers settled on a zone defense that slowed down the Knicks, who scored 16 points in the 4th quarter, but that seems more of a temporary solution than a primary solution. The Sixers are playing the zone on his 6.5% of his possessions defensively, according to Synergy Sports, the sixth-most in the league. It’s a strategy Doc Rivers has relied on when man-on-man defense seemed a step behind. The Knicks also pummeled the Sixers on the defensive grass, rebounding his 32.6% of mistakes to end the game.
But the Sixers also had versatility. Melton came in on the defense, sprinkling in a few hot shots (his 5-of-7 from across the arc). In addition, the Sixers subbed Niang to replace Tucker in the fourth quarter. With Tobias Harris’ development as a catch-and-shooter, the Sixers have plenty of options for Harden and Embiid’s two-man game. It’s much easier to defend when the other team needs to take the ball out of the net.
After Nyan’s 3-pointer, the Sixers returned to the same action. When the Knicks switched Randle to Harden, they isolated him.
It is unclear what the future holds for the team. But at Christmas in New York, the Sixers played as a team and showed offensively how prolific they can be.
(Joel Embiid top photo: Dustin Satoroff / NBAE via Getty Images)
