The Philadelphia 76ers are in New York on Tuesday night to take on the Knicks with seven games left in the regular season. The Sixers hold the fifth-worst record in the league, giving them a much better chance of retaining their first-round pick in this year’s draft. They’re a game and a half in the lead for that spot over the Nets, who won last night over the Mavericks. The Knicks are sitting comfortably in third place in the conference as they look to make a deep playoff push.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (23-52) at New York Knicks (47-27)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Watch: NBA League Pass
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers come into this contest on the heels of a 127-109 loss to the Raptors on Sunday night. This loss allowed the Sixers to gain some space ahead of both the Nets and the Raptors. Lonnie Walker IV led the team with 23 points and seven assists, while five other players scored in double figures.
The Sixers will have Quentin Grimes back for tonight’s contest, and the combination of him and Justin Edwards has been a quality young duo for the team over the past few weeks. The addition of performances from Ricky Council IV, Walker, Jared Butler, and Adem Bona has helped the team stay competitive, but it’s simply not enough against some of the teams in the league.
As the team is looking forward to retaining its first-round pick in the upcoming draft, they’ve been able to discover some quality young players already on the roster. Grimes has averaged 27.1 points per game over the last ten games, while Edwards has averaged 17.9 points, and both players are shooting over 41% on their three-point attempts.
Re-signing Grimes is a must for this off-season, while Edwards has earned himself a real spot on next year’s squad. If the team can return Joel Embiid and Paul George while pairing Tyrese Maxey with Jared McCain, Grimes, and Edwards, that’s a solid foundation without even looking at players like Kelly Oubre Jr. or Guerschon Yabusele.
Latest on the Knicks
The Knicks hold a three-and-a-half-game lead over the Pacers for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. While Jalen Brunson is out for tonight’s game, he’ll be ready for the playoffs. The Knicks have loaded up their roster in hopes of taking out the Cavaliers and Celtics at some point in the playoffs. In addition to Brunson, the team features Karl Anthony-Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart.
In his first season with the team, Towns is averaging 24.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, and he has had one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He’s second in the league in rebounding this year and shooting 42.5% on his three-point attempts, which is a career-high. KAT has fit in well and given the team a huge weapon as they prepare to take on the top teams in the playoffs.
Towns has played great, but the team’s talent goes even deeper. Mikal Bridges is averaging 18.0 points, while OG Anunoby supplies another 17.6 points per game. That would be enough, but teams also have to deal with Josh Hart, who’s putting up 13.8 points per game and a career-high 9.7 rebounds while shooting 53% from the floor. Despite what the Celtics and Cavaliers have done, the Knicks have put themselves in a great position as the playoffs are right around the corner.
What to watch for tonight
While the Sixers have lost eight games in a row, and normally, the sky would be falling as the playoffs are approaching, that ship sailed for the team a long time ago. For now, the losses mean a better chance to retain their first-round pick in the upcoming draft, and it’s provided excitement for the fans through a time when everyone should be at the end of their ropes.
Justin Edwards and Quentin Grimes will continue to bring the excitement they’ve brought since being inserted as starters, while Yabusele, Walker IV, Butler, and Council IV are all doing their best with the minutes they’re given. While it’s not been enough to translate to wins, they’ve played some exciting basketball and given the team quite a bit to think about for their future plans.
The question for tonight’s game will be if Grimes can get to 30 points on the night before Head Coach Nick Nurse removes him from the game. While monitoring Edwards, Walker, Yabusele, and Council to make sure that they’re not going overboard as the team can open up a whole two-game lead on the final leg of the race to the fifth-worst record in the league.
With the Knicks missing just Brunson from their starting lineup, they shouldn’t have too much trouble defeating the Sixers, as they currently hold the league’s best offensive rating. The Knicks are middle of the pack when it comes to defense, and that should allow the Sixers to score a good amount of points and keep the game close. If the Sixers start off cold, it’s going to be a long night of trying to play catch-up against one of the best teams in the league.
Prediction
Sixers 107 – Knicks 135
