The Philadelphia 76ers traveled up I-95 for the fourth and final matchup of the season against the New York Knicks. A 105-91 loss gave the Sixers a two-game leg up on the Nets in the lottery race but offered little else in positive takeaways.
Both teams saw many players sit due to injury. The Sixers missed most of the top of their rotation, while the Knicks were without their top three point guards and Karl Anthony-Towns.
What went right
The return of Kyle Lowry was a positive development in a sense. Although there was little impact one way or the other due to his presence, to see his return after nearly two months, you have to be happy for Lowry from a human perspective, if nothing else.
Hardly anyone shot well in this game; that was at least the case for the Sixers. Despite struggling to connect from deep, Lonnie Walker IV was relatively successful in the team’s losing effort.
Walker needed an adjustment period after coming over from Lithuania midseason and then suffered a concussion plus a neck sprain that caused him to miss further time. Returning on March 29, Walker has looked much improved and far more comfortable back on the NBA court.
Since returning from injury, Walker has averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, shooting a respectable 48.7% from the field. What’s curious is Walker’s inability to draw contact in that time. He has not taken a single free throw in those three games, although he continues to drive the lane fiercely, so it should be a non-issue moving forward.
Alex Reese and Marcus Bagley also had solid games, combining for an efficient 19 points. Both players are looking to show something, anything, that would provide them some staying power next season, and while there’s still much to be done to accomplish that, tonight was a step in the right direction for both of them.
What went wrong
It was a particularly abysmal shooting night for Philadelphia. While the Knicks did not fare much better, it’s difficult to win a game in the modern NBA while shooting less than 20% from three. The Sixers made just 6-31 shots, shooting 19.4% on the night.
Philadelphia’s personnel shortcomings are well documented, and at a certain point, it feels almost like a cruel practice to continue to judge the players, considering where the Sixers’ season has gone.
Thankfully, for all parties considered, the season last just six more games.
Sixers standings update
Philadelphia’s fiercest tanking competition did not play tonight, so the Sixers simply gained a half-game of ground against both the Brooklyn Nets and the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Sixers still sit in fifth place in the reverse standings but are now a full two games up on the Nets and a game and a half back of the Pelicans. Both Brooklyn and New Orleans have more challenging schedules in this final stretch than Philadelphia, emphasizing that every game from this point on is crucial in the Sixers’ hopes of retaining their 2025 first-round pick.
Up next for the Sixers
The Sixers will travel back home as they prepare to face the Milwaukee Bucks, who are coming off a 133-123 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The game is set for Thursday, April 3, with a scheduled tipoff of 7 p.m. You can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia or listen live, as always, at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
