The New York Knicks lose yet another game, but Mitchell Robinson put together a strong performance against the dominant Joel Embiid.
- New York Knicks 111 (10-47)
- Philadelphia 76ers 126 (37-21)
- NBA, Final Score, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
The New York Knicks are in full-on player development mode. They went down 26 in the first half and despite a second-half surge, the Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a relatively easy win in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks drop a franchise-record 18th-straight game.
Watching Knicks games during the second half of the year is a different type of viewing experience. Rather than focusing on the scoreboard, the best way to watch is by keeping tabs on the progress of individual players.
One player that should give the Knicks some hope is Mitchell Robinson. The second-round pick has had an up-and-down season as he struggled through some injury problems and just general inconsistency. He’s unpolished but uber-talented.
On Wednesday he posted 14 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks while being matched up with All-Star Joel Embiid for parts of the game.
Mitch can fly. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/bnkaBwS8C1
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 14, 2019
Mitch held his own against Embiid. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/fWabmwrbqh
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 14, 2019
Robinson is starting to put together a nice string of games. It’s a shame that the All-Star break is here because he looks like he’s starting to find his groove. Over his last five games, Robinson is averaging 12.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.
Robinson still has a long way to go, but he has immense talent and he even had the trash-talking Joel Embiid saying some nice things about his game.
Embiid showing Mitchell Robinson some love. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/wuy2v0WXVO
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 14, 2019
Embiid was dominant on Wednesday, scoring 26 points on 13 shots while corralling 14 rebounds for good measure. Philly’s starting five absolutely manhandled the Knicks tonight. Every starter was a plus-seven or better for the Sixers while the best plus/minus for a Knicks starter was Mario Hezonja who was a minus-nine during a whopping six minutes of action.
Kevin Knox had a particularly rough night. He was called out for his poor defensive play be DeAndre Jordan at one point. He finished the night at a jaw-dropping minus-29. It’s important to keep plus/minus statistics in perspective because they don’t tell the whole story of the game. But it’s safe to say that Knox’s number is indicative of his poor play.
His best moment of the night came when he baptized Ben Simmons at the rim. Knox was able to take out his frustrations and show a glimpse of his unreal athleticism.
Remember Knicks fans, wins and losses are meaningless. Instead of worrying about that, just watch this clip of Knox posterizing Simmons on repeat.
Look at the reactions from the Knicks. Rough couple nights for Ben Simmons at the rim. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/KJeBjA5xsP
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 14, 2019
The Knicks will have one more opportunity to break this losing streak before the All-Star break arrives. They travel south to play the youthful Atlanta Hawks on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
