PHILADELPHIA, PA — The 2024 NBA Cup began Tuesday, Nov. 12 as the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the New York Knicks. A rough start to the season for Philly saw a jump in excitement as former MVP Joel Embiid would be making his long awaited season debut.
The two squads who last met when New York knocked the Sixers out of the first round of the playoffs resumed right where they left off with a physical matchup. Embiid had a tough task with Knicks offseason addition Karl Anthony-Towns who made three of the Knick’s first four baskets, scoring a quick eight points.
Embiid was not ready to match him shot for shot in the early begining, but Paul George certainly was, looking more aggressive than ever in a Sixer uniform. Scoring 11 points in the first quarter, George was every bit as advertised when the Sixers acquired him this offseason.
The Knicks held the lead nearly from the jump of the game, but the Sixers continued to push back and hang around throughout the first three quarters. All that changed unfortunately with the start of the fourth.
New York would go on an 11-0 run to begin the fourth, highlighted by a controversial reversal of an offensive foul on Karl Anthony-Towns. Without Paul George on the court due to his continued minutes restriction, the game quickly began to get out of hand for the Sixers.
Come the final five minutes of the game, the “Let’s go Knicks” chats began from the fans who made the trip down.
In the end, the game looked as though it were never close, with the Knicks winning, 111-99
Joel Embiid
It was a slow star for the Sixers’ superstar, who struggled to find his comfort zone early on. As the game would progress, Embiid would look increasingly comfortable, but never like the Embiid the NBA is accustomed to.
It is his first NBA game since early May. This is not a complete surprise, but it certainly won’t quite critics who claimed Embiid should have missed the Olympics to prepare for the season.
Paul George
Unlike in his initial four appearances, Paul George looked like he was shot out go a cannon in this matchup. Looking to definitely shake off any remaining rust, George was active and hunting his shot from the opening tip.
Scoring 29 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, George’s performance was encouraging, despite the loss.
Jared McCain
Another game, another impressive performance by Sixers rookie Jared McCain. Averaging 14.4 points per game in his last five heading into the matchup against the Knicks, McCain has slowly been earning more and more trust from Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse.
So far, McCain has rewarded the faith his head coach has shown in him. Against a New York team with a passion for defense, McCain found multiple ways to find his shot, scoring 23 points on the night.
It’s been an impressive season for McCain just ten games in. He has a long road left in his NBA career, but the begining has been undoubtedly bright.
