Knicks fall to 76ers again, 98-93, as LeBron James closes out NBA Cup opener
LeBron James scored 20 and sealed it with a late tip-in as Philadelphia beat the Knicks 98-93, dropping the champions to 2-4 ahead of Brooklyn.
The defending champion New York Knicks opened their NBA Cup defense with a loss on Friday night. The Philadelphia 76ers beat them 98-93 in Philadelphia, and LeBron James supplied the late baskets that decided it. The result drops New York to 2-4 and leaves the Knicks 3 games behind first-place Philadelphia (5-1) in the Atlantic Division, according to ESPN. The 76ers also lead the season series 2-0 after spoiling New York's banner night at Madison Square Garden on opening night.
New York trailed for most of the game. Philadelphia scored 29 points in the first quarter and led 53-44 at halftime. AFP, via Yahoo Sports, reported the 76ers' lead reached 14 in the third quarter against a sloppy Knicks team. New York outscored Philadelphia 25-21 in the fourth, and Jalen Brunson's step-back three gave the Knicks a 90-89 lead with 1:32 left.
It was their only lead of the closing stretch. James answered right away to put Philadelphia back in front. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, VJ Edgecombe then hit a three from the corner, and James put back a Tyrese Maxey miss for a 96-91 lead with 11.9 seconds left. James, 41, finished 8 of 15 from the floor with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, plus a chase-down block. Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse told AFP of James, "that was his best game, for sure." Maxey led all scorers with 27.
Brunson led New York with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Most of the scoring came from those two, and a 93-point night was the Knicks' lowest total of the young season. It was also the first time in six games that New York had been held under 100.
The loss matters more in the Cup than in the standings. Group-stage games count toward the regular-season record, but group play is short, and an opening loss to the division leader leaves New York little margin if it wants to return to the knockout rounds. AFP reported the quarterfinals are set for December 4-5.
What it means for Monday against Brooklyn
The Knicks return home Monday, November 2, to face the Brooklyn Nets. Only one team in the division has a worse start than New York: Brooklyn is 0-5 and last in the Atlantic. The Nets lost 110-94 at home to Detroit on Friday, their fifth straight defeat.
New York's season has gone back and forth. The Knicks lost three of their first four games, to Philadelphia, Boston and Orlando. They then beat Detroit 111-97 at home and won a high-scoring game in Chicago, 133-127, before Friday's loss. Their only home win so far came against a Pistons team that just handled Brooklyn by 16. That makes the Nets a clear chance for the Knicks to get back to .500 territory and stop the early slide in the division.
The Philadelphia game also showed a narrow offense. Brunson and Towns combined for 46 of the 93 points, and New York's slow first half put it in a hole it could not climb out of. Against a winless opponent, a faster start and more scoring from the rest of the rotation would go a long way.
