The New York Knicks couldn’t hold down Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers as the Knicks drop their third straight game.
- New York Knicks 109 (9-24)
- Philadelphia 76ers 131 (21-10)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
The New York Knicks are floundering. Head coach David Fizdale’s squad has lost 10 of their last 12 games and despite a spirited effort in the first half, the Knicks allowed the Philadelphia 76ers to score at will and pull away in the second half.
The Knicks kept pace as best they could for the first three quarters, but they simply didn’t have the firepower to keep up with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid down the stretch. Simmons posted a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Embbid was a benefactor of Simmons’ dishing, scoring 24 points while also corralling 10 rebounds.
Even with Tim Hardaway Jr. battling through plantar fasciitis, the Knicks didn’t have the offense to hang with Philly. Hardaway looked good in his return, scoring 27 points shooting 3-for-7 from three-point range.
Prized rookie Kevin Knox had a nice game as well, including a beautiful alley oop from Hardaway. He has a tendency to take his foot off the gas pedal at times, but he did finish with 21 points. He wasn’t great from start to finish, but once again we’re seeing flashes of a really good player.
The Knicks are looking more and more like a candidate for a top spot in the lottery with each passing game. The Knicks are still battling and they aren’t trying to lose games, but they simply don’t have the talent to avoid nights like Wednesday.
That being said, this isn’t the type of loss to worry about too much. Philly is one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference and the Knicks are who they are. In fact, prior to Wednesday’s game, David Fizdale found himself redefining success for his team.
“This season I’ve found that I’m finding victories in small things,” Fizdale told Ian Begley of ESPN. “I’ve had to shift the way that I, my competitive (approach). Because all of us are bred as athletes, our whole life, win at all costs, if you don’t win it’s death. That’s just how you’re bred, you’re hard-wired that way. But now that I’m coaching this team and I understand that we’re going to go through struggles, I’ve had to kind of re-boot myself to say OK what’s really a victory?”
That type of quote can put a loss like this into perspective. This season should be about much more than the final record. It should be about seeing growth in the team and building towards the future.
Of course, it’s never fun to get blown out by 22 on the road, but this loss isn’t the end of the world. There were a few nice highlights from this one, but this is one the Knicks will be happy to move on from.
.@emmanuelmudiay breaking through pic.twitter.com/zkAxlkz2wz
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@T_HardJR back on it ? pic.twitter.com/hYuYFTNOEG
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
Easy buckets for @KevKnox ? pic.twitter.com/jyzDwj1D7s
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
??? pic.twitter.com/5qZim8zrlB
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@KevKnox is hungry ? pic.twitter.com/dGrOJtQ7eC
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@CourtneyLee5 stoppin' ? & poppin' ? pic.twitter.com/CqB01w4zfU
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@wholeteamDot gettin' involved pic.twitter.com/uSdDAdVe3f
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@T_HardJR showing those post moves ? pic.twitter.com/KaOUpU3xOT
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
All aboard… ? pic.twitter.com/RlANoPyasZ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@Enes_Kanter is huffin' and stuffin' ? pic.twitter.com/encHOhHEEJ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@NoahVonleh says ? pic.twitter.com/hJPhMuSPsG
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
.@T_HardJR is not done. pic.twitter.com/3HorGOA3EY
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 20, 2018
