Sixers drop Knicks, 98-93, thanks to clutch moments from LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe
James played his best game as a Sixer, knocking down a clutch fadeaway and following VJ Edgecombe's big three-pointer with a tip-in to close the night.
It turned into a nailbiter down the stretch, but the 76ers beat the Knicks 98-93, moving to 1-0 in NBA Cup play, thanks to some late clutch moments from LeBron James, in the best performance of his young Sixers career.
Offense sputters down the stretch
The Sixers’ offense was firing on all cylinders in the first half. Embiid showed off his high-level passing ability, with two of his best coming right in a row with a quick two-man game leading to a VJ Edgecombe dunk, and on the next possession a pass to a cutting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for the lay-up.
But Embiid had a rough shooting day, going 3-for-12 from the field and 0-for-4 from three, which handicapped the Sixers down the stretch.
James was extremely aggressive offensively, especially in their downhill transition game, and the ball easily whipped around the group even in their set-up game.
Despite the second-half struggles, the Sixers did enough when it mattered. Edgecombe hit a massive three to put the Sixers up four, but it was James who got the put-in to restore the lead at 91-90 after Brunson’s three briefly gave the Knicks the lead, and it was James whose putback pushed the lead back up to five with 11.9 to play and iced the game.
Bench units
Much has been made of the Sixers’ star-studded starting five, but the Sixers’ bench played a big role in Friday’s win. The team announced pregame that Jaylen Brown would miss Friday’s game with left knee tendinopathy, which drew Dean Wade back into the starting lineup.
Joel Embiid and LeBron James split the first back-to-back of the year: Embiid played the first leg against Milwaukee and James played the second half against Detroit. This time, both James and Embiid played the front end, and will likely both sit in Charlotte tomorrow.
Dean Wade still hasn’t found his shooting stroke offensively yet — he didn’t even attempt a shot in the first three quarters — but his defensive effort, especially in the second quarter against OG Anunoby, was noticeable.
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Anfernee Simons gave the Sixers a critical stretch in the third quarter after the Knicks went on their first real run of the game, scoring 13 points in just over five minutes to re-establish the strong Sixer lead. He went 5-for-8 from three and was also aggressive on the boards and as a passer.
The one notable exception, Adem Bona, had one highlight-reel block, but he didn’t grab many rebounds and was a clear mismatch vs. Knicks backup center and former Sixer Andre Drummond. He was equally inefficient against starter Karl-Anthony Towns. He ultimately committed four fouls and ended as a negative-6 plus-minus.
Home court advantage
The Sixers are used to Knicks-heavy crowds. In the playoffs, their plea for home fans to come to the games went mostly unanswered, but on Friday they had maybe their best home crowd against New York in years.
Not to say there weren’t any Knicks fans in the building. There was a sizeable contingent making noise, especially during their fourth-quarter run. But the energy and noise from the Sixers faithful well outshined them. After a third-quarter block, James had the whole crowd wagging a finger with him, and the fans exploded when Edgecombe hit the dagger three-pointer.
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
