Knicks Top Sixers in Tank Bowl

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

In the battle for draft lottery supremacy, Wednesday night’s game between the Sixers and Knicks was treated as the Super Bowl. Management and fans alike sensed this contest would go a long way toward deciding who would have the best odds for the first overall pick, with Jahlil Okafor or whoever else waiting as the prize to help accelerate a return to contention. The Sixers threw a big haymaker early, announcing before the game that rookie big man Nerlens Noel would be sitting out the game with an upper respiratory infection (I’m sure Noel is actually sick, but come on, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect). As a result, the Sixers were forced to play 6’9″ Malcolm Thomas at center for large portions of the game, losing the rebounding battle 52-43 as a result.

With the game underway, both teams were content to let their star player chuck away with abandon. Michael Carter-Williams took a season-high 26 shot attempts (2 off a career-high), making just 10 and finishing with 27 points on the evening. The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony was only slightly more efficient, also scoring 27 points on 8-24 shooting. He helped New York surge ahead in the second half, draining a pair of threes on the very first two possessions of the third quarter. and working the refs all game long to finally get those superstar calls driving to the rim which had eluded him in the first half. He finished 9-10 from the foul line.

Still, as can sometimes be the case in these perceived meaningless games, it was somebody just fighting for a job that ultimately made the difference. After the Sixers had closed the game to 4 in the final minute, Jerami Grant denied Jason Smith at the rim for one of his 8 blocks (!), but the ball found its way to former St. Joe’s Hawks star Langston Galloway in the corner. Galloway, playing on a 10-day contract and making his second career start, is certainly comfortable hitting big shots in this city and drained the three to seal the Knicks victory.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyakJhysdJg]

The only consolation for Sixers fans is this loss is much better for the team in the long run. If the team has a 25% at the #1 pick instead of 19.9%, we can look back on this night as a big reason.

Ironically enough, with Noel sitting out just after making public comments about everyone needing to get more touches (which many assumed was a veiled shot at Michael Carter-Williams), MCW played his most shot-happy game of the season. There were certainly moments when he could have kicked out to an open teammate on the perimeter, but elected to force a runner instead. Still, in many ways, it’s hard to blame him. After all, these were the guys to whom he was passing the ball.

As he typically does, Carter-Williams stuffed the stat sheet with 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals. Among those assists were a couple nice alley-oop feeds to K.J. McDaniels and Jerami Grant. This may be a case of selective memory, but he seems to be progressing with his accuracy on those types of passes.

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//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.jsSpeaking of Jerami Grant, he more than ably filled Noel’s role as rim protector, recording that ridiculous total of career-high 8 blocks and a plus/minus of +14 in just 25 minutes.

Jerami Grant is one of just 8 players in the last 20 years to block 8 shots in less than 25 minutes in a game. — Max Rappaport (@MaxRappaport) January 22, 2015

As we often must do with the Sixers, it’s the little signs of player development that have to take the place of victories. With Grant making threes lately, and now looking like a defensive powerhouse, his game is certainly a reason for enthusiasm. I’ll leave you with one last look at a possible building block for the future.