Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia 76ers
Game Recap: Knicks 99, 76ers 87
Snapshot: A day after earning their first win of the season, the 76ers (1-19) were unable to carry momentum over to a quick trip to Manhattan. The New York Knicks (9-10) received an effective two-way performance from their top rookie, and clamped down defensively for a 99-87 victory at Madison Square Garden. The defeat marked the Sixers’ fourth in a row at the Garden, and helped New York snap a four-game losing streak of its own.
Kristaps Porzingis, the fourth overall selection in this past June’s NBA Draft, affected the contest in a variety of ways, scoring both in the lane and on the perimeter, en route to his 2015 rookie class-leading ninth double-double. He posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, and also turned aside four shots. Carmelo Anthony was back in action after strep throat sidelined him for the Knicks’ previous game. He punched in 12 points, and didn’t return following the third quarter.
The Sixers had trouble finding an offensive spark, as no player on the team scored more than Hollis Thompson’s club-best 13 points. Nerlens Noel started in place of Jahlil Okafor at center, managing six points and six rebounds. Rookie forward Richaun Holmes was productive in extended action, generating a career-high tying 11 points in 18 minutes.
Top Moment:
JaKarr Sampson, making his third straight start, pieced together a solid box line. He deposited 12 points, the bulk of which were generated on hard drives to the rim, for his third double-figure scoring effort of the fall. Sampson also hauled in six rebounds.
Below, find a link to the video highlight of Sampson’s first bucket, which sliced the Sixers’ deficit to one in the first quarter. It was as close as they would get to the Knicks for the rest of the night.
http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-76ers/highlights-sampso…
Brett Brown Said – On the offensive problems the Sixers encountered against the Knicks
“We couldn’t make a shot. I thought we had good looks. I thought across the board, I don’t fault our energy. I thought we scrambled to the end. We just couldn’t make some shots. Last night took its toll.”
Of Note:
Shortly before tip-off Wednesday, the Sixers issued a statement regarding Jahlil Okafor. The release read:
“We have made the determination to suspend Jahlil Okafor for two games, effective immediately.”
“Jahlil is a very important part of our organization and our future. While we are disappointed with his recent actions, we have faith in him as a valued member of the Sixers. We will provide the necessary resources to support him on his journey and will do our part to help him succeed both on and off the court.”
Brett Brown spoke about the organization’s approach to arriving at a decision about Okafor.
“Trying to judge it in its totality,” said the head coach. Brown has a daughter who is 19 years old, the same age as Okafor.
“The club felt like this was the thing we could do two-fold. That we show him tough love, that we understand he’s ours, and we have to help him, and help him we will.”
Okafor will be eligible to return to action next Monday, when the Sixers host the San Antonio Spurs at The Center. He’s currently averaging 17.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
With Jahil Okafor inactive for Wednesday’s game in New York, Nerlens Noel was moved to center for his first start at the position since the Sixers’ 73rd game last season. Noel shifted to power forward for his last six appearances of the previous campaign, doing so in order to prepare for the position transition he’s been asked to make this year.
Contending with, at varying times, the likes of Robin Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kevin Seraphin, Noel had a tough time establishing a rhythm. The second-year big man converted three of his 11 field goal attempts, and was charged with four turnovers.
Noel was not alone in his struggles from the field. Collectively, the Sixers hit 37.0 percent of their shots.
“We tried to get ourselves going,” said Robert Covington, who went three for eight from the field and tallied eight points in what was the Sixers’ seventh road game in their last eight contests.
“A lot of guys are not used to that road trip that we were on. Playing that many minutes and traveling like that. That travel can get strenuous at times.”
With the crowd clamoring just about every time he received an offensive touch, Kristaps Porzingis delivered a stellar showing. He extended his recent stretch of strong play by generating a double-double for the fourth time in seven outings.
Team president Phil Jackson appeared on SiriusXM radio Wednesday, and praised Porzingis’ progress, saying that the 20-year old Latvian’s style of play has a “magical element” to it. Jackson also expressed surprise that the Knicks have been able to use Porzingis as extensively as they have, to the tune of 28.0 minutes per game.
“We just weren’t sure, but he’s come along really well,” New York head coach Derek Fisher said about Porzingis’ endurance and durability. “He’s got everything that we’ve asked him to do, but also he’s very, very, very serious about his job. So we don’t have to convince him to prepare himself to play every day. I think it’s helping him a lot. It’s a long season, though. I’m sure he’ll have some times where he’ll feel like a rookie physically, and we’ll have to be prepared to adjust for that.”
Next Up:
The Sixers return to South Philadelphia on Saturday to begin a two-game homestand. They host the Denver Nuggets (6-13) in a 1:00 PM EST matinee at The Center. Once a perennial contender in the Western Conference, Denver is now focused on rebooting certain aspects of the organization on the heels of back-to-back sub-.500 seasons. During that period of time, the team lost a combined 98 games. First, the Nuggets hired Mike Malone to serve as their head coach. He spent parts of two seasons with the Sacramento Kings before being fired abruptly last December. Then, in the NBA Draft this June, the franchise used the seventh overall pick to select point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. Veteran point man Ty Lawson was subsequently traded three weeks later. Mudiay, who played his high school basketball in and around the Dallas area, opted to go overseas to compete in the Chinese Basketball Association last year, instead of joining Larry Brown’s SMU Mustangs. As of Wednesday, Mudiay ranked fourth in rookie scoring with 12.1 points per game. He ranks second among his first-year peers by averaging 5.8 assists per contest (T.J. McConnell is first). Mudiay, however, has also committed 74 turnovers, the third-highest total among all NBA players. Sixth-year forward Kenneth Faried (12.2 pts, 8.7 reb) is off to a nice start, and Jameer Nelson was re-signed in the summer to take on a back-up role.
