The Return of Embiid: Encouraging Signs From George & McCain in the Face of Defeat
The Sixers came into this game 2-7, with their only two wins coming in overtime. The first quarter started off as tightly as their two wins, as the score sat at 14-11 in favor of the Knicks with six minutes remaining in the first quarter thanks to nine Paul George points.
A Caleb Martin steal and quick-transition slam in the final 15 seconds of the quarter got the lead back down to one possession, as the Knicks had a 27-25 lead.
Cam Payne hit a deep three, KAT rebounded well and had some well-timed put-backs, and in the blink of an eye the Sixers were down by seven points again as they faced a 34-27 deficit with 8:54 on the clock in the second quarter.
That Knick barrage of points was finally quelled by Embiid free throws, and Oubre followed that up with a strong and-one which got the score to 36-32.
Paul George nailed his third three of the game to cap a 7-0 Sixers run, his 17th point of the game so far which got the score to 50-48 with less than two minutes to play in the half.
midrange McCain. pic.twitter.com/g7bUrTwHXQ
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2024
McCain was all over the floor and was always a presence when he was on the floor, being a key passer and even rebounder despite his size in several key situations.
Josh Hart nailed a step-back three of his own to set the score at 52-50 in favor of New York.
In the first half, Paul George led Philly in points with 18 and rebounds with five. And while Embiid only played 13 minutes he was second in points with eight, had two rebounds, and led the team in assists in the half with four.
Paul also actually led both teams in scoring in the first half, as KAT was the next-closest player with 12 points.
At the very least, the first half was an encouraging display of team basketball and some necessary shaking of rust for Embiid as the Sixers had more steals and blocks than the Knicks and committed fewer turnovers, and had nine fast-break points in the half while the Knicks only had four.
Although, if the Sixers wanted any hope of winning they would need to shoot at a more efficient clip as New York was besting them in both FG% and 3PM% by far and the Sixers’ only lead came at the start of the game, when the score was briefly 2-0.
Paul George gave Philly its first lead since that 2-0 lead in the first quarter, with a three to notch the score at 57-56 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
And regardless of the outcome of the night, it had to be nice for Sixers fans to finally see Embiid nail shots like this for the first time in months:
3MBIID. pic.twitter.com/4hYrF7TpEx
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2024
The 76ers quickly relinquished that aforementioned lead though and the Knicks went on a run that resulted in their largest lead of the night, a run Paul George ended with another three with five minutes remaining in the quarter.
McCain kept making plays all over the court and got the lead back down to one possession, thanks to fearlessly flying to the hoop and nailing a free throw.
An Embiid basket where he absolutely bodied Jalen Brunson capped a 7-0 Philadelphia lead that got the lead down to 76-75, and it was a phenomenal moment to see considering all that he’s been through the past few months and how the fans reacted:
👏 SOUTH PHILLY MAKE SOME NOISE! 👏 pic.twitter.com/kWWEOpxh3n
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2024
However as the fourth quarter wore on the Knicks simply kept making shots while the Sixers kept missing them, and it felt like Philly couldn’t buy a point for eons as a McCain three finally got the score back under 12 while the Knicks had a 91-80 lead with 6:35 on the clock.
The 76ers kept playing hard with McCain boards and Paul George swishes, but ultimately a rusty Embiid and the rest of the lineup fell short against a New York team that had all three of their stars healthy and on the court.
As the clock ticked down, Tyrese Maxey could only look on in his street clothes from the bench while Embiid slowly undid the many straps to his bulky knee brace.
At the end of the day, the Knicks beat the Sixers in fast-break points, second chance points, and points in the pain. When you look at the shot charts, it’s easy to see why the Sixers lost too considering the bevy of missed threes in comparison to the Knicks:
In spite of the loss in Embiid’s return, Philly fans have to be encouraged by what the scoring they saw from Paul George, the efficiency they did see out of an Embiid that hadn’t played in months, and the tenacity with which Jared McCain fought for rebounds and willingly took hard contact going to the rim.
Paul George started to find his groove and came alive this game. Despite only playing in four of the 76ers first 10 games of the season, George leads the Sixers in steals per game, assists per game… but unfortunately also turnovers committed per game (per ESPN).
At the moment, George ranks ninth in deflections per game and ninth in offensive rating. Drummond has also been picking up his play and is playing with maybe the most physical presence down low of any player in the NBA – considering he leads the NBA in defensive and offensive rebound percentage (and obviously total rebound percentage).
Again, in the face of a loss, Sixers fans need to keep in mind that this was Joel’s first game in months and it will take anyone at least a few games to play themselves into NBA basketball shape, and the Knicks had Hart, KAT, and Brunson all available and at full strength while Paul George was the only member of the Sixers’ big three that was at 100%.
