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The Philadelphia 76ers’ lack of a consistent third option was apparent during the team’s 128-92 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Joel Embiid finished with 30 points, recording his 16th consecutive game hitting the 30-point threshold. He added 10 rebounds, three blocks, and one steal while connecting on 10 of his 24 field goal attempts.
Tyrese Maxey continued his breakout 2023-24 campaign with an efficient 27 points of his own, dishing out nine assists compared to just one turnover. While he was only able to hit one shot from behind the arc, he still made 45 percent of his field goals.
However, the rest of head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation struggled to find any consistency. Tobias Harris scored just five points in 24 minutes before leaving the game due to left ankle soreness. Kelly Oubre Jr. put 15 points of his own, although no other 76er was able to record a double-digit scoring total.
NBA fans were far from impressed with the lack of tertiary scoring options for Philadelphia.
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Tonight is a perfect example of why the Sixers should be leaning offense instead of defense at the deadline.
SixersShowYo @SixersShowYo
The Sixers are in a weird spot where I don’t know if we need to make a trade but one would definitely help
Daniel Olinger @dan_olinger
Tyrese Maxey + Joel Embiid + Kelly Oubre = 63 Points
Everyone Else on the Sixes = 13 Points
TheNBANinja @theNBAninja
Philly is about to drop to 7-9 against teams .500 or better. They’ve feasted against bad teams but have struggled against playoff caliber opponents. Philly needs roster upgrades around Embiid/Maxey if they want to challenge in the east. They do have draft assets to hunt pieces.
🏁 Let me Cook… @LetMeSpinCoach
Tobias Harris prob gets a lot of blame, but besides Maxey, Embiid, and maybe oubre jr.. everyone else are scrubs.
For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson finished with 30 points on 11-20 shooting while backup shooting guard Quentin Grimes scored all 19 of his points in the fourth quarter to put the 76ers away.
Philadelphia fell to 23-11 following the defeat, while New York moved to 20-15. If the 76ers continue to disappoint while Embiid and Maxey thrive, the front office will likely be active ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
