Game Preview: New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers, November 12, 2024

11/12/2024 01:08 PM

Recent playoff rivals face off in battle of struggling contenders

Remember just last Friday when the Knicks and Bucks faced off against each other in what was an early-season battle between two teams that were struggling more than they expected to? Well, tonight's battle between the Knicks and the 76ers is an eerily similar version of that.

Despite both teams coming off of incredibly strong regular seasons and an off-season that saw them make significant moves, both teams have stumbled out of the gates. New York is coming off of a disastrous loss to Indiana that saw their defense torn to shreds in the fourth quarter and are now 4-5. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is just 2-7 thanks in large part to the injuries of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid- the last of which will likely make his season debut tonight.

Both teams and their fans do have some positives to keep them hopeful though. While the Knicks' atrocious fourth quarter defense, the minutes distribution, and the lack of scoring from Mikal Bridges has been a hot topic all season long, there's hope that they are still far from being a finished product. It's been just nine games, and the "glass-half-full" approach to the young season is to think of how good this team can be in 10, or 20 games.

And despite the aforementioned struggles from Bridges, the team has found success on the offensive end, finding a way to post the second highest offensive rating in the league. Karl-Anthony Towns have been among the best big men in the league so far, averaging 24.9 PPG, and 12.3 RPG, which rank 15th in the league, and fifth in the league respectively. And after last game's outburst, Jalen Brunson has gotten back on track, averaging 25 PPG, and 6.6 APG, which rank 14th, and 15th in the league respectively. And OG Anunoby has been noticeably more aggressive offensively as of late while being the usual havoc-wreaking versatile defender he's always been.

For the Sixers, the numbers aren't pretty regardless of how you dissect them. They rank 27th in the league in offensive rating, 20th in defensive rating, and 26th in net rating. But they can point to injuries as the main cause of that. Maxey got hurt in just his seventh game of the season, George has played in just four games, and Embiid has yet to play a single minute. While there is never any guarantee of health, especially for those last two players, at least the Sixers and their fans can rest a bit easier knowing that they can and should play better on both sides of the ball when, and if they can get all three guys playing at the same time.

All in all though, it's been a tough watch for both fanbases. Despite some of the positives laid out above, there's no denying that these two teams are not where they want to be. Thankfully, the Eastern Conference has been abysmal outside of the Cavaliers and the Celtics as just those two teams have a record over .500 right now. That means either team can get on a short hot streak, jump up to the third seed, and instantly separate themselves from the pack. And tonight's rematch from the first round of last season's playoffs could serve as a big opportunity for one of these teams to jump start their turnaround.

Projected Starters

Kyle Lowry, who had been linked to the Knicks numerous times in the past and has also devastated the Knicks on a couple occasions, has started in place of the injured Maxey. In his age-38 season, the veteran point guard is averaging 8 PPG, and 3.9 APG, while shooting 47.2% from three. The Sixers likely don't want to keep playing him 30+ minutes like he did against the Hornets on Sunday, so it wouldn't surprise me to see some of those minutes go to Jared McCain, who just poured in 27 points in 31 minutes.

Kelly Oubre Jr. has started all nine games so far this season, and will be the only player on the team to start all ten after Andre Drummond gets replaced by Embiid in the starting lineup. Oubre saw a slight jump in his counting stats to begin the year with both Embiid and George out, but has since come cooled off, scoring less than 12 points in three of his last four games.

Paul George will start just his fifth game of the season, and will look to improve on what has been a pretty disappointing season in which he has averaged just 14.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 5.8 APG,

Caleb Martin, who many Sixers fans believed was a pivotal move, will be the other forward starting alongside George. And like George, he's been a disappointment. Through nine games, eight of which he has started, Martin is averaging just 10.3 PPG, and is shooting just 36.8% from the field, and 30.8% from three.

And manning the middle will be Joel Embiid, who is reportedly set to make his season debut tonight after load managing his knee, and serving a three-game suspension for his altercation with a reporter. Given his talent, injury history, and notoriety amongst Knicks fans, he'll surely be the player to keep an eye on for Philadelphia.

Injury Report

Philadelphia: Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) out

New York: Deuce McBride (knee) questionable, Cameron Payne (hamstring) questionable; Mitchell Robinson (foot) out, Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) out, Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) out

Prediction

It's tough to have full confidence in this current Knicks team beating anyone right now. They did beat up on the Pacers a couple weeks ago, and dominated the Pistons shortly thereafter. But they're also short-handed, very weak defensively, and have repeatedly lost the three-point battle. And because of that, they have relied heavily on the raw talents of Towns and Brunson. Because of that, my confidence in New York's ability to beat a team of any caliber is iffy at best right now, and until they reel off a few solid wins in a row, I don't think that will or should change.

That being said, Philadelphia has been bad. Offensively, they relied heavily on Maxey, who was playing big minutes and tasked with creating a lot of advantages out of nothing. And defensively, they weren't very good either. Getting Embiid back, and George's expected improvement should remedy both of those things relatively easily. But there's no guarantee that George gets it going tonight against Anunoby, and while Embiid may be the player on the court, there will be questions about his minutes and conditioning. I think it's a close game, but the Knicks eek it out with a more balanced offense, and hopefully a rejuvenated Bridges, who'll be playing in his hometown. Nova Knicks lead New York to 115-110 just 30 minutes away from where they played their college ball.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers

When: Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Watch: TNT

Follow: @ptknicksblog