Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid dominates, third-quarter woes return, and more in loss to Knicks
The loss overshadows the fact that Embiid finished with 38 points, including 3 of 5 three-pointers, and 11 rebounds in what was his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points.
Joel Embiid is back to playing at an All-NBA level.
Yet, the 76ers are still dealing with third-quarter blues.
And they made a decision that will affect Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, who were in jeopardy of playing their games as two-way players.endnu
These things stood out in Saturday’s 112-109 loss to the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Back to dominating
Embiid, a three-time All-Defensive performer, still doesn’t protect the rim the way the 7-foot-2 center did before undergoing two left-knee surgeries in a 14-month span. (First surgery was for a torn meniscus in February 2024. Then he had arthroscopic surgery on the knee in April.)
But you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone with a better offensive stretch than the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player.
Embiid finished with 38 points on 13-for-21 shooting – including making 3 of 5 three-pointers – along with 11 rebounds and five assists in his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points.
On Saturday, 28 of his points came in the first half on 10-for-12 shooting. Embiid acknowledged it was the best groove he felt offensively this season.
“I felt pretty good, just attacking, doing whatever I wanted,” he said.
The seven-time All-Star has averaged 31.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 57.1 % on three-pointers in his previous three games.
Embiid was asked if there was a carryover from his logging 45 minutes, 36 seconds while finishing with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in Thursday’s 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
“I feel great,” Embiid said. “Nah, I was tired. Early game, too. Yeah, I was tired. But ... just got to keep pushing.”
More third-quarter blues
After Embiid dominated the first half, the Sixers took a 64-60 lead into intermission.
But the Knicks went on a 24-5 run early in the third quarter to build an 86-72 cushion. That was partly due to the Sixers missing 10 of their first 12 shots of the quarter.
He would shoot 4-for-17 (23.5%) and commit five costly turnovers in the quarter, as the Knicks took a 90-77 lead into the fourth. Embiid was held scoreless in the quarter while shooting 0-for-3.
The Knicks would extend their lead to 17 points early in the fourth quarter.
Mounting a comeback, the Sixers pulled within two points on VJ Edgecombe’s three-pointer with 1 minute, 34 seconds remaining.
The Knicks stepped up their intensity after intermission. They also benefited from their dominance of the boards. For the game, New York outrebounded the Sixers, 53 to 38, and had a 26 to 4 advantage in second-chance points. Knicks 6-5 forward and former Villanova standout Josh Hart finished with a game-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 points.
Reserve center Andre Drummond didn’t play despite being one of the league’s best rebounders. He’s averaging a team-leading 9.0 rebounds while playing just 20 minutes per game. The 6-11, 280-pounder finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in his lone game against the Knicks this season.
Did Nick Nurse ever consider inserting Drummond because of the rebounding disparity?
“Not really tonight,” he said. “I mean, I think both him and Jabari are probably two quality rebounders for us. The only thing we did think about was trying the big lineup [with Embiid and reserve center Adem Bona]. They weren’t very big much tonight. Nor were they five, four much tonight either. But we did think about that.”
With the Sixers down three points, Tyrese Maxey (22 points, six assists) appeared to be fouled before misfiring on a 27-foot, three-point attempt with 5.8 seconds left.
“I should’ve just took the one dribble and shot it right,” Maxey said of forcing the shot.
And Embiid appeared to be fouled before turning the ball over in the final second as the Sixers dropped to 24-20 on the season.
Out of time?
The Sixers have agreed to sign Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract.
Before that, Saturday was believed to be the last game in which Walker and Barlow could be active without the team needing to make a roster move. That’s because the team ran out of available games for playing on two-way contracts, since it has fewer than 15 players on standard NBA contracts.
But they’ll temporarily have 15 players on the roster, with Bassey’s addition.
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On Saturday, Barlow was the sixth man for the second consecutive game after starting at power forward. Meanwhile, Walker received a did not play coach’s decision for the second straight game. He was the backup power forward before Barlow was demoted.
But the Sixers had to decide if they wanted to sign Barlow or Walker to a standard deal to avoid this restriction. Another option would have been to sign a player to a 10-day contract. And the Sixers could have sat both of them. But Barlow still has a vital role with the team, while Walker can still contribute when needed.
“I’d like to find a way to get him his five, six, eight-minute stints that he’s been providing as well,” coach Nick Nurse said of Barlow before the game. “So, there’s always room to be looking at stuff, and hopefully — I think I said this a few weeks ago — we gotta figure out kinda how things shape out. Role-wise, within the starters, within the bench guys. We’re still trying to develop some of that stuff because it’s been very few games.”
With an impending storm coming to the region, the Sixers were set to travel to Charlotte following the game instead of Sunday. They’ll practice at the Spectrum Center on Sunday before facing the Hornets there on Monday. Bassey will sign his 10-day contract before Monday’s game.
Shortly after the game, Barlow was asked whether he and Walker had received any indication from the team that he would remain with the Sixers.
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“I mean, I don’t really ask those types of questions,” he said. “I would like to think so, but that’s for my agent and Daryl. They can all handle that kind of stuff. My goal is to be a great basketball player today, and then be a great basketball player tomorrow. And if anything happens in the future, see what happens. I try not to ask too many questions about that kind of stuff.
“I’ve been in this situation before. It doesn’t really do anything for you, besides just make you think. I’ve kind of just been enjoying the day.
Barlow’s previous two-way deals with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks were converted to standard deals.