Tough to lose close games.
There is still a lot of fight left in the Philadelphia 76ers. So, declaring their season over after going down three games to one to the New York Knicks might not be the smartest option. Jalen Brunson torched everyone and popped off. Fortunately, the duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were able to punch back. But, no one else was able to deliver which could be a sign of a looming NBA Playoffs collapse.
The 76ers lack more options
Coach Nick Nurse can run pick-and-rolls along with face-ups all he wants when Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are on the floor. But, they still need a solid bench unit or just a third option to put up decent numbers against a fairly deep Knicks squad.
Joel Embiid was horrid from the field. He only knocked down seven out of his 19 field goal shots while going one for six from three-point land. However, the current MVP did not give up and played 44 minutes to score 27 points while also dropping six assists and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey also had an awful shooting night with his shots from all three levels of scoring only finding the bottom of the net eight times despite having 21 attempts. Like Joel Embiid, the 76ers star guard still managed to notch 23 points along with six rebounds and six assists. Both of these stars may not have been the best but their poured their hearts out against the Knicks.
The same cannot be said for the rest of the 76ers roster. Only Kelly Oubre got on a roll at one point but went seven for 15 on his shots for 19 points. He also played 44 minutes which might not make him the best person to blame.
Who is at fault?
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Well, it may all boil down to two of their veterans, Kyle Lowry or Nicolas Batum. Both of them saw the court a substantial amount but one sticks out among the rest. Nicolas Batum played 21 minutes but only was not able to sink a single field goal for the 76ers. He only tallied a single point because of a free throw but went zero for three on the field. His main contribution was getting seven rebounds for the squad. He also dropped one assist to wrap the night up.
Kyle Lowry was also plagued with the same problem in the fourth game of this NBA Playoffs clash. Coach Nick Nurse allowed him to be on the floor for a total of 33 minutes. He just could not produce. Despite attempting six field goals with four of those shots from beyond the arc, the veteran guard only sank one shot. But, he was able to make up for it with his facilitation by dropping seven dimes and notching five rebounds.
It doesn’t really matter who among the two is the most to blame. When it comes to the NBA Playoffs, knocking down shots should not be sacrificed in favor of boards or assists. They should come together or else the 76ers may as well bid their season farewell already.
