NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers knew the challenges they were faced with on Tuesday evening when they faced off with the New York Knicks for the second consecutive game. It’s tough to beat a team twice in a row, especially on the road, and the Sixers had to be ready for a fight.
The Knicks brought the fight to Philadelphia early as New York jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first half. The Knicks used a steady diet of Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby and Philadelphia was unable to find any rhythm in the early going. The Sixers awoke after halftime and made it a game, but the Knicks eventually walked away with a 106-79 blowout victory.
Tyrese Maxey made his return from a 4-game absence and had 17 points and four assists, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 19 points and six rebounds, Buddy Hield had nine off the bench, and Paul Reed had 14 and eight rebounds.
Here are the player grades after the loss:
It wasn’t the greatest night for Lowry. He wasn’t able to convert on many of his open looks from deep and he had a tough time defensively against the Knicks and their options out on the perimeter. He did a good job of getting the team organized and into their spots, but the offense sputtered.
Returning from his 4-game absence, Maxey was terrific to start. He was a blur getting to the basket, he was knocking down tough 3-pointers, and he was getting his teammates in the right spots on the offensive end of the floor. He kept the scoreboard moving for Philadelphia when everybody else had a tough time putting the ball in the basket. Eventually, the Knicks began to really key in on him and make life tough on him, but when considering the circumstances, he had a nice night.
Give Oubre credit, he is not afraid to try and dunk on anybody. He had a disrespectful poster slam on Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein to finish an And-1. That’s what Oubre offers to the starting lineup. He’s an athletic player who can score in bunches and give the Sixers a lift from the perimeter. His efficiency can come and go, but his ability to give something on the perimeter while also giving a boost on the defensive end is a big boost for this group.
There were opportunities for Harris to step up in this one. He had two wide-open corner triples in the early going that he wasn’t able to convert on and then he had a nice move in the post which led to a good look, but he wasn’t…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Sixers Wire…