Knicks unable to overcome rough first half in 98-93 loss to 76ers

The Knicks opened NBA Cup group stage play by losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, 98-93.

Here are the key takeaways…

— The reigning NBA Cup champions began this season’s group stage with a dud in the first half.

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It was a rough night shooting the ball for New York, particularly from beyond the arc, as it couldn’t penetrate the 76ers’ defense down low, which led to poor shot selection. The Knicks also turned the ball over far too many times and struggled to get into any kind of rhythm.

— In the first quarter, New York shot 40.9 percent from the field (27.3 percent from deep) and had four turnovers compared to Philadelphia, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor (33.3 percent from deep) and had zero turnovers.

— Tyrese Maxey led the way for the 76ers with seven points in the opening frame, with Joel Embiid and V.J. Edgecombe each adding six points. OG Anunoby led the Knicks after one with seven points, including a layup in the final seconds to cut New York’s deficit to 29-21 headed to the second.

— Things stayed the same in the second quarter, with the Knicks relying too much on the three. They only scored 14 points in the paint at halftime while the Sixers had 26. Philadelphia also moved the ball around much better than New York did in the first half, totaling 17 assists to the Knicks’ 10.

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— New York’s starting five all had at least seven points at the break, but the Knicks’ bench was giving them no help other than seven points by Miles McBride. Landry Shamet was scoreless (0-for-3 from three) in 13 minutes and Tyler Kolek had two turnovers in his seven minutes.

— Meanwhile, Maxey continued to cook New York’s shoddy defense and went into halftime with 18 points on 8-of-12 from the floor. LeBron James also had a big half with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, and despite shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, the 76ers led 53-44 at the half.

— With how bad the Knicks played in the first half, they still weren’t completely out of it at any point and managed to pull within five points in the third quarter after a flurry of points by Jalen Brunson doubled his point…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-unable-overcome-rough-first-022420367.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-31 02:24:00

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