Sixers Fall to Knicks, ‘Melo Makes Appearance as Noel Sits

By Max Rappaport, Sixers.com

It was a night characterized by a number of impressive individual performances, but unfortunately no win for the Sixers.

The game pitted Philadelphia against a Knicks team that had been losers of 16 straight before beating the Pelicans at Madison Square Garden on Monday, and in the early going the two teams traded blows evenly, playing to an 18-18 draw through the first 12 minutes of the game. But after being held to just two points on 1-for-4 shooting in the opening frame, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony awoke from his slumber.

The seven-time All-Star finished with 27 points to lead New York, with Jose Calderon adding 15 more, Tim Hardaway, Jr. dropped in another 13 off the bench, and local product Langston Galloway scored 11 and hit a game-clinching three with 15 seconds left that put the Knicks up by seven points after a late rally by the Sixers brought the deficit as low as three.

Philadelphia was led by Michael Carter-Williams, who finished with 27 points (10/26 FG), seven assists, six rebounds, and five steals, becoming the only player in the NBA to hit those marks in a game this season. Henry Sims contributed a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds), Robert Covington scored 17 on 5-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-8 from deep, and Jerami Grant blocked eight shots in just 25 minutes off the bench, becoming one of just eight players to hit that mark in as many or fewer minutes since 1985.

Following the loss, the Sixers’ record now stands at 8-34; the Knicks are 7-36.

Noel Misses Game; Aldemir Notches First Start

Nerlens Noel was a late scratch due to an upper respiratory infection, and in his place fellow rookie Furkan Aldemir got the starting nod. In his first career start, he logged 19 minutes and contributed five rebounds (two offensive) and three blocks.

Updates: Luc Mbah a Moute And Tony Wroten

Neither Luc Mbah a Moute (left knee contusion) nor Tony Wroten (right knee sprain) played in Wednesday’s game. The former is day-to-day, while Wroten’s status will be updated in the coming days following further testing.

“We’re trying our best to deliver something that’s concrete to the market place, but also to Tony,” said head coach Brett Brown. “We haven’t ruled out anything, but what I do know is he’s young, and he needs to be cared for. Whatever’s smartest and best for him, that’s what we’ll do.”

Next Up

The Sixers return to action on Friday against the Toronto Raptors at home. The action tips at 7pm (EST).