76ers got to the rim easily in 98-93 win over Knicks, and Mike Brown noticed
Philadelphia got into the paint at will in its NBA Cup win over New York, a rare lapse for one of the league's stingiest interior defenses.
The Philadelphia 76ers have now beaten the defending champion Knicks twice in the season's first two weeks. Knicks coach Mike Brown's main complaint about Friday's 98-93 loss was how easily the Sixers kept getting to the rim. According to the New York Post, Brown brought up the paint defense almost right away afterward. That stands out because New York came in allowing just 39.3 points per game in the paint, second-best in the league behind Boston.
Philadelphia did most of that damage early. Tyrese Maxey scored eight points in the paint in the first half, and LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe added six each. Less than two minutes in, James cut behind OG Anunoby, caught a pass from Joel Embiid and laid it in. Early in the second quarter, Maxey pump-faked Landry Shamet on the wing and drove past him for a dunk. The Sixers scored 29 points in the first quarter, according to ESPN's box score, and led 53-44 at halftime.
Brown said the problem wasn't one breakdown but a series of small ones that added up. He was especially bothered that Philadelphia kept driving even though it was shooting poorly from outside, about 5 of 17 from 3-point range in the first half by his count. "They were getting in our paint left and right, right and left, and it was really, really easy doing it," Brown told the Post.
The game didn't go entirely Philadelphia's way. New York pulled down 14 offensive rebounds to the Sixers' five, with Andre Drummond and Miles McBride grabbing three apiece. Even so, the Knicks couldn't close the gap. ESPN credited James with 20 points, including a go-ahead fadeaway late in the game, while Maxey led everyone with 27. The game also counted in the NBA Cup group stage. The Post noted that the Knicks have rarely been held to 93 points or fewer in a regular-season game since the start of the 2024-25 season.
For Philadelphia, the takeaway is mostly positive. With Maxey, James and Edgecombe all able to attack the basket, the Sixers can still score when their outside shots aren't falling, and they did it against one of the league's better interior defenses. The rebounding numbers are the warning sign. Losing that battle 14-5 kept a beatable opponent close into the final minutes.
What it means for Monday against Chicago
The Sixers are 6-1 and have won three straight since their only loss, 106-93 at home to Detroit. Since the Knicks game they have also won 109-104 at Charlotte. Their margins have been narrow. Four of the six wins came by five or eight points, and only the 127-116 win over Milwaukee was decided by double digits. In the two games against New York, a 106-100 road win and Friday's 98-93 home win, Philadelphia kept the Knicks to an average of 96.5 points.
The Bulls visit Monday, November 2, in the second half of a back-to-back for Philadelphia, which played in Charlotte on Saturday... wait, that game came after the Knicks game, leaving the Sixers a day off before Chicago. The broadcast is on NBA League Pass. Expect Philadelphia to try the same approach it used on Friday: Maxey and James driving early to force help and open up the floor. If the Sixers can also hold their own on the glass this time, they will have fixed the one clear weakness from the Knicks game.
