On January 22, Joel Embiid scored 70 points, a franchise record, to defeat the Spurs. On the floor of Madison Square Garden yesterday, the same Sixers, deprived of their pivot as well as Tyrese Maxey, only needed to score 79 points to win against the Knicks. By limiting the latter to 73 units.
This combined total of 152 points is the lowest since an evening in January 2016. The Nuggets then won ahead of the Wolves with a score of 78 to 74.
“ The nature of the match was physical. It was hard. I thought our defense was good, we had enough rebounds. They made a few shots late in the 3rd and early in the 4th. But we fought, we came back, we had a chance at the end. We lost a few balls which hurt us. That's how it happens sometimes », puts Tom Thibodeau into perspective.
His team had already distinguished itself in terms of low scores, two days earlier, by limiting the Magic to only 74 points. The Knicks thus became the first team to limit an opponent below 75 points in more than three years. And the first in more than 20 years to hold the opposing team below 80 points two nights in a row.
It was the turn of New Yorkers, yesterday, to fall below this bar. Against the Sixers, the locals took half of their shots behind the 3-point line. An insistence which did not pay off with a meager ratio of 9/40 (22.5%) which dragged down the overall percentage (32.5%). Result: the Knicks finished three quarters without reaching 20 points scored.
Jalen Brunson muzzled
“ We were clearly clumsy. There were a lot of turnovers, I think I lost six or seven myself, but we have to try to get rid of all that », Claims Josh Hart (9 points at 4/13, 11 rebounds and 6 lost balls). The Knicks lost 21 balls in total, the Sixers, six fewer. The visitors especially showed a little more shooting skill, getting closer to 40% (38.8%).
Nick Nurse's men were rewarded for their hard work on the leader opposite, Jalen Brunson, contained to 19 points with a horrible 6/22 on shots, including 1/9 from distance. “ He still scored baskets with the foul », remarks Kyle Lowry, author of a “dagger” shot two minutes from time, who sees in Jalen Brunson a player “ All-NBA “who will dominate the league” during a moment “.
While both teams are struggling at the moment, with busy infirmaries, Nick Nurse can congratulate himself on this success which puts an end to three losses in a row: “ I'm mainly trying to evaluate if the guys can execute what we're trying to do. It's about playing really hard and executing what you're trying to do. Making the right choices, just moving the ball, finishing, taking the shots they're supposed to take. That's all we ask. »
His team has another opportunity to do so this Tuesday, on the same floor.
