Tyrese Maxey makes explosive comeback in disappointing defeat

The Philadelphia 76ers (36-29) and New York Knicks (38-27) played each other again in Madison Square Garden. The Sixers got blown out of the water, losing 106-79.

Let’s break down the Sixers and Knicks’ rematch.

76ers player notes:

Tyrese Maxey: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-14 FG shooting

Maxey made his return from a concussion after four games. With no limits on his minutes, the All-Star hit the ground running. He was once again good from deep and at the rim but wasn’t finding success from the middle scoring level. The support around him was extremely disappointing but he did solid given the context of what he was coming back to. He was limited to 28 minutes due to the blowout nature of this game.

Tobias Harris: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1-6 FG shooting

Harris…man. He couldn’t even make the extremely open shots provided by teammates and was not willing to fight to make his own. He went totally scoreless in the first half on three shots with no other stats other than three rebounds. There was nothing to take from this Harris performance other than he needs to have a smaller role moving forward if he can’t shake himself out of whatever funk he’s in.

The TNT graphic asking where he was is about to go platinum on Sixers Twitter.

Knicks player notes:

Jalen Brunson: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 7-12 FG shooting

The 76ers successfully locked Brunson in a box in the last matchup. This time around, he sliced and diced his way around the court. His gravity opened up space once again and the Knicks did a much better job finishing the possessions after he drew two defenders. When he was subbed out for the final time, he was greeted with cheers from the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Game recap:

The 76ers’ win over the Knicks on Sunday was a blast from the past, complete with a ridiculously low score and some pushing and shoving late in the game. Philly came out victorious by keeping Brunson in check and scraping up enough points to win in Madison Square Garden. It wouldn’t be so easy this time around to steal another win from a tough Knicks squad.

Maxey returned to the Sixers’ starting lineup in place of Cam Payne but the Knicks also got a major piece back: defensive stalwart OG Anunoby, who hadn’t played since late January.

1st half

Kelly Oubre Jr. kept the Brunson assignment while Donte DiVincenzo started on Maxey. The Knicks made their first three shots and forced a Sixers timeout less than two minutes into the game. Anunoby hit a step-back from the mid-range to get on the board early in his return. Isaiah Hartenstein strutted down Broadway for a wide-open dunk that forced the timeout from Philly, who missed its first three shots, two of which were corner threes from Harris without a defender even close.

The switch from Precious Achiuwa to Anunoby in the starting lineup worked wonders for the Knicks’ offense. With ample spacing, Brunson found it way easier to get to his spots and create drive-and-kicks looks. Maxey made his first two shots but the Sixers couldn’t connect on their open looks. The Knicks were swooping and hooping on offense with the added shooting. Anunoby’s defense also came in handy.

Maxey and Harris were among the first subs for the 76ers, bringing Nico Batum and Cam Payne into the game. Buddy Hield later entered in his second game off the pine and Maxey was reinserted a few minutes later. The 76ers, even with Maxey back and looking like his usual self, were stuck in the scoring-averse environment of the last game. They scored 14 points in the first quarter, one fewer than on Sunday, and trailed by 12 after the first 12 minutes.

The Knicks, meanwhile, had evolved. They pushed the pace in the fast break and made snappy passes that forced hard closeouts, opening lanes to drive or swing passes to an open teammate. Brunson returned to the game as they hit a snag in the second quarter while the Sixers searched for options outside of Maxey. Oubre slammed a two-handed dunk on Hartenstein and hit the foul shot but it looked like he got away with a backcourt violation.

After cutting the deficit to seven, the Sixers allowed the Knicks to go on a run sparked by fast breaks, none as flashy as Brunson assisting Anunoby behind the back for a slam. Philly staying cold on offense only allowed New York to soar up the court. The Knicks’ aggression on the glass only exacerbated the issues. Freed from having to be a reliable floor spacer, Josh Hart stepped into mid-range shots and racked up the buckets.

At the half, the Sixers trailed 59-41. Oubre blew kisses to the Garden crowd after hitting the huge shot to cut the lead to 18 points.

2nd half

The 76ers put a little pep in their step out of the half, holding the fort down on defense and looking for players leaking out in the fast break. Harris scored his first points of the night in the fast-break and Maxey contributed a layup and a spot-up trey as Philly forced turnovers and jumped out to a 10-2 run.

Once the Knicks got some stops and pierced the 76ers’ defense at the point of attack, they built their lead back up again. Philly couldn’t keep up with New York’s endless cutting and swing passes. The possessions might have been helter-skelter but they buried the Sixers further. Harris remained unplayable, missing a layup and traveling while failing to provide any significant value on the court.

The 76ers tried to stay ultra-aggressive on Brunson but it only came back to burn them. A Brunson back cut resulted in a layup that gave Hart a triple-double. Brunson getting blitzed gave the Knicks the chance to swing the ball around for the open shot. The Sixers blowing each chance on offense came back to bite them like a shark. A fast-break slam from Anunoby and Hart skying for a layup, ditching his headband after it was knocked out of position and scoring on a layup gave the MSG crowd a lot to cheer for.

Philly fought to make a comeback and prevent a 30-point deficit, sending KJ Martin into the game for the first time in a small-ball center lineup. Jeff Dowtin Jr. made an appearance with just under eight minutes left as garbage time settled in. Ricky Council IV came in shortly thereafter, as did former Sixer Shake Milton. The 76ers once again had plenty of pieces to pick up after another bad loss without Joel Embiid.

Assorted observations:

• These Knicks uniforms are nice but look out of place on a court with their normal shade of blue.
• The Knicks playing the “L to the OG” song from Succession when Anunoby hits a triple is fantastic.

The 76ers will finish their road swing on Thursday and take on the Milwaukee Bucks.