Embiid looks rusty in return as Sixers fall to Knicks in NBA Cup action

Joel Embiid looked understandably rusty and the Sixers’ offense was ice cold as they dropped their first NBA Cup game to the Knicks Tuesday.

Picking up right where we left off, huh?

Not only did the Sixers kick off the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, they also welcomed Joel Embiid back to the lineup Tuesday in a 111-99 loss to the New York Knicks.

Embiid, looking very much like someone trying to shake the rust off, finished with 13 points on 2-of-11 shooting. He went 8-of-8 from the free throw line and finished with three rebounds and five assists.

Paul George had his best game of the season so far, finishing with 29 and 10, shooting 10-of-19 from the floor and 7-of-11 from three. Jared McCain had another nice night with 23 points on 16 shots, but the rest of the offense struggled mightily. The only other Sixer to reach double figures was Caleb Martin.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks in scoring with 24 points.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Embiid looked a step behind the action early on, which is to be expected for a first game back. He found a cutting George for the Sixers’ first basket, but seemed to overthink his next touches. He even might have beaten KAT on a post move, but passed it out to Kyle Lowry for a shot clock violation. Embiid’s first shift lasted a little over five minutes, he would return for the last two minutes of the quarter as well.

• It didn’t look like there was a ton of Knicks fans in the building pregame, but when Towns opened the game with two quick threes it was pretty clear many of them had made the trip. It’s just an unfortunate reality that there’s nothing you can do about it as long as tickets are several hundred dollars cheaper down here.
• George had an excellent first, shooting 4-of-5 in the quarter while also racking up three stocks on the other end (steals plus blocks for the uninitiated.) While the rest of the Sixers only shot 5-of-15, they got going a bit late when Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele each knocked down a three. Caleb Martin picked off a pass and dunked it to cut the Knicks’ lead to two as the quarter ended.

Second Quarter

• It was good to see Nick Nurse stick with the same rotations as Sunday. Aside from Andre Drummond, the guys he used off the bench were McCain, Yabusele and Jeff Dowtin Jr. Those probably are the best bench players right now with Lowry having to start in place of Maxey.
• The early returns on McCain dribble hand offs with Embiid looked pretty good — even if McCain only got one three to go down, he had a ton of space. The lineup as a whole was generating decent looks but they were cold. It took them over three minutes to make their first field goal of the second.
• George’s second shift, at least before Embiid checked back in, was odd. He turned it over on a cross court pass in transition that was too ambitious, and the only shot he made was a three he was very clearly trying to draw a foul on.

• Offense was very hard to come by. The Sixers were shooting 3-of-19 from the floor in the second. Even a rusty Embiid is a big help though. He checked in with 2:45 left in the half, and the Sixers scored on four of their final possessions of the quarter. A stepback from Josh Hart beat the buzzer to make it a four-point Knicks’ lead at the half.

Third Quarter

• The Sixers had an opening to go on a run as Jalen Brunson rolled his ankle on the first play of the half, heading back to the locker room for the first half of the third. Thankfully Brunson was able to return, but the Sixers losing those minutes outright was not a good sign.
• It’s a good thing that turned out to not be serious, as Martin continued to be very disruptive. He deflected a pass which led to his fourth steal of the night. It’s a shame Kelly Oubre Jr. continues to just be out of control offensively, because the wings as a unit are starting to look very formidable defensively. Oubre took the 2-on-1 from Martin’s fourth steal to drive directly at Towns, wildly missing the layup.
• Embiid looked pretty tired out there, again playing about the first five minutes of the quarter. He was primarily hanging around the three-point line, where he got his first field goal of the season to go.
• Things might have gotten really ugly in the third if not for who else, but Jared McCain. Nights like this when his three-point shot isn’t falling make what else he does very impressive. He has such a good understanding of spacing and footwork he was able to take defenders like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges off the dribble. He even nearly dunked on Anunoby in transition, but had to settle for two free throws. He got by Cam Payne for this and-1 that seemed to really energize the crowd, as the Sixers went into the fourth trailing by three.

Fourth Quarter

• It’s understandable given the rust Embiid had to shake off, but they probably went to McCain and Yabusele a little too much during this stretch. The Sixers went scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter, allowing the Knicks to get out and take a double-digit lead. It probably didn’t help Embiid’s sharpness that he, Oubre and Towns all bonked heads early in the quarter.

• Nurse kind of tried to have his cake and eat it too during this stretch. He tried to keep Embiid out there to stop the run but didn’t bring George back in time to help stop it. Embiid playing the first six minutes of the quarter ended up being his last shift of the night, checking out down 11. It’s a tough situation they’re in— it’s smart to be cautious but they need to win some games here at some point.
• George and McCain were able to hit some shots to cut the lead under 10 briefly, but they held firm that Embiid was done for the night. Another tricky side effect of the minutes restrictions is how susceptible it makes them for being sunk by one run.
• No rest for the weary, except for the stars, who will probably be resting tomorrow. The Sixers are back in action at home tomorrow for their first back-to-back of the season, and it’ll be against the 12-0 Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET.