Sixers Lose MLK Day Thriller at MSG

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

New York 119, Philadelphia 113 (2OT) – Box Score

For Sixers fans lucky enough to have Monday afternoon off to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, they were treated to what was arguably the game of the year at Madison Square Garden. Like a great Shakespearean drama, the game unfolded in numerous acts that took fans on a roller coaster ride for what turned out to be a 58-minute affair.

First, Jahlil Okafor continued his torrid scoring pace of the past few games to help the Sixers trade blows with the Knicks in the early going. Okafor would finish with 20 points on 10-17 shooting and 7 rebounds, but in just 25 minutes of action (more on that later).

However, New York had their own 2015 lottery pick to counter with, and Kristaps Porzingis was more than up to the challenge. Staps had 16 points (2-4 from three), 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks before being forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter with a minor foot injury. Behind the 4th overall pick’s strong two-way play, the Knicks gradually built their lead up to as many as 18 points in the second half.

That’s when the Sixers threw a major plot twist into the script, as Brett Brown decided to go with a lineup of Ish Smith, Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, Isaiah Canaan, and Hollis Thompson. Consistently running a pick-and-roll with Ish and Nerlens, surrounded by the three best shooters on the Sixers active for Monday’s game, proved to be a recipe for success. Ish would finish the contest with a career-high 16 assists, Noel had 18 points (to go along with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks), and the trio of Covington, Canaan, and Thompson would shoot a combined 9-18 from three.

Suddenly, Philadelphia had gone on a 21-4 run to get the Sixers back to within 1 point in the 4th quarter. A couple minutes later, the Sixers even had themselves the lead down the stretch and it took a Carmelo Anthony three-pointer to tie the game with 4 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite a poor shooting outing from Melo (7-28 from the field), it was a gutty performance from him to play 49 minutes in his first game back from a sprained ankle. Along with the clutch shot to save the game for the Knicks, Anthony helped the team out by grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists.

Then, heading into overtime, that 5-man unit for the Sixers had played almost literally the entire way in the fourth quarter, prompting people to wonder if Brett Brown might give some guys a blow, perhaps bring back in Okafor (who was the team’s leading scorer on the night after all). As you’ll see below though, Coach Brown stuck with that group for almost the entirety of both overtime periods.

#sixers had 5 players play at least 20 of 22 mins during 4th and OT: Noel (all 22) Ish (21:51) Hollis (21:43) Cov (20:22), and Canaan (19:50

— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 18, 2016

The result was predictably that the Sixers got really tired. Philadelphia’s offense began to stagnate, and rely increasingly on Ish Smith to do everything by himself. Sometimes it resulted in terrific plays, as evidenced by the huge assist total along with his 16 points. Many times though, it resulted in missed shots, as Ish was a dreadful 8-28 from the field. It took a fortunate bank on a Robert Covington three-point attempt to even force double overtime.

The wheels came off entirely when Derek Fisher finally realized Jose Calderon couldn’t stay in front of Ish defensively, and brought in Langston Galloway to replace him. The former St. Joe’s Hawk not only was a better defender, but had fresh legs and made some great plays on the offensive end, scoring 8 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting. It’s often overused that a team runs out of gas, but that literally appeared to be the case Monday afternoon for the Sixers.

Although the game was plenty exciting, and a loss ultimately helps the Sixers in the long run, it’s another case of questioning Brett Brown’s decision-making down the stretch of a close game. Even if he thought the Sixers couldn’t go back to a two-big line-up toward the end of the game, Noel clearly needed a break at some point. Playing him 22 straight minutes is fairly absurd, even with more stoppages in overtime periods. At least bringing in Okafor for a bit to spell Noel (and maybe he helps the offense get back on track), seemed like a fairly logical move.

Anyway, that’s a discussion for another time. For now, let’s be thankful that instead of having to sit in work Monday, many of us were treated to some of the most exciting basketball of the season. Despite what the scoreboard eventually said, we were all winners.