Embiid-less Sixers claw back to force OT before falling to Knicks

The Sixers used a huge third quarter to get themselves back into the game and force overtime but couldn’t come up with enough plays in OT to beat the Knicks Wednesday.

It’s a shame we probably won’t get six more games of this in the spring again.

After going down 13 at halftime, the Sixers came all the way back to force overtime but fell 125-119 to the New York Knicks Wednesday night.

Joel Embiid missed his sixth straight game with a foot sprain, while Karl Anthony-Towns was out for New York with a sprained thumb.

Tyrese Maxey had another good night from inside but struggled from out. He led the Sixers with 33 points, shooting 13-of-32 and 2-of-9 from three. Paul George had another big second half, finishing with 26 points and six assists.

Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 38.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• The start of the game was plenty sloppy as the Sixers opened the game 2-of-7 from the field with a couple of turnovers. On top of that, Nick Nurse lost his challenge just three minutes into the game trying to get Maxey’s second foul overturned. He’s had a quick trigger on challenges all year and this one easily takes the cake — the game had just started!
• George was somewhat aggressive early — he got a couple trips to the line on top of having a four-point play fall for their only three of the quarter. Guerschon Yabusele had a few successful post-ups as the rest of the offense struggled to get anything going.

• Philadelphia opened up equally as sloppy on the defensive end, giving up several open cuts as a result. That was enough for the Knicks to get going as they shot 54% from the field and 62% on threes in the first, getting out to a nine-point lead.

Second Quarter

• After a quiet first, Maxey got more involved, making three of his first four shots of the second. This offense is reaching a point where every basket feels noteworthy because of how few and far between they come. A good microcosm of how everything is going right now is Kelly Oubre Jr. getting wide open in the dunker spot and Maxey throwing his lob right into bottom of the rim.
• Defensively, the Sixers tried to mix things up with a zone, though that certainly didn’t stop the Knicks from shooting the lights out. Whether they were in a zone or playing man, they were very slow on their close outs.
• Oubre appeared to poke the ball free from Mikal Bridges for an easy fast break that would have cut the lead to seven, but was whistled for a foul instead. Good thing a challenge was burned at tip off though! The Sixers closed the half a bit better, largely thanks to hustle from Oubre, but still went into the half trailing by 13.

Third Quarter

• The Sixers made as many threes in the first minute and a half of the second half than they did in the entire first half, so that’s a step in the right direction. Maxey opened the half aggressive, repeatedly attacking the hoop.
• Maxey continued to hit shots, but New York had enough answers to keep them at arm’s length. They didn’t really clean up those defensive breakdowns from the first half and continued to give up open corner threes as a result. They also struggled to keep Jericho Sims off the glass. He had five offensive rebounds through three.
• They did better as the quarter wore on, enough to make significant progress in cutting the deficit. The Knicks were able to grab two offensive rebounds on their final possession though and it did lead to a bucket. Jeff Dowtin Jr. got stuck with the ball as the clock was winding down, and his prayer was answered as the shot fell in off the glass to tie the game at 85.

Fourth Quarter

• Adem Bona had a solid night. It certainly wasn’t a layup line at the rim like the previous three games, but the Knicks were able to pick on him a bit to start the fourth. They were able to draw three fouls on him within a three-minute span and rip the ball from him when he got stuck at the top of the key. It was a rough stretch, but another solid night overall for the rookie.
• After Dowtin kept the offense afloat early in the quarter, and then it fell to Justin Edwards as the Knicks got out to a lead again. He’s gotten pretty comfortable dribbling into floaters — he walked into one of those and hit a three to keep them within striking distance.

• And it was an Edwards three that tied the game again with just under three minutes remaining. The Knicks took the lead right back when a scrambling Oubre gave Josh Hart a fast break trying to save a loose ball. They extended it with a three after Maxey got bottled up on the ensuing possession.
• Maxey got fouled on a midrange jumper, and completed the and-1 to give the Sixers one last chance with 36 seconds left. Brunson was able to get around George and Edwards though to sink a floater. Needing the Knicks to miss a free throw, they were able to poke the ball away from Brunson down two with seven seconds left. Playing for the tie, Maxey got all the way to the rim and got a goaltended layup to tie it up. OG Anunoby missed a pull-up on the other end, sending this one to overtime.

OT

• Well, it appeared they ran out of gas just getting to the extra period. A miscommunication allowed Anunoby to have a wide open baseline for a dunk on the first possession. After an ugly Sixers’ turnover, Brunson knocked down a three, then got fouled shooting another one. That put the Sixers in too big a hole to climb out of nearly as soon as overtime started.
• The Sixers will continue to play basketball but at least this next stretch won’t be in front of their fans. They’ll hit the road, starting in Indiana as they take on the Pacers Saturday night at 7 p.m. It is the front end of a back-to-back.