Philadelphia beat the Knicks 98-93 in an NBA Cup game without Jaylen Brown and moved to 5-1, second in the conference. The Sixers led by 14 early in the third quarter, scored 21 in the final period and needed a LeBron James tip-in with 11 seconds left.
How did a 14-point lead turn into a one-possession game?
Two 8-0 runs built it, and the second one spanned halftime to make it 58-44 with 10:21 left in the third quarter. Then the offense went flat. New York scored seven straight to get within 59-54 at 7:20, and Nick Nurse had to call timeout. The Knicks won the final period 25-21, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 11 of his 22 there, and Philly led only 94-91 with 30 seconds to go.
Who actually closed this game?
Simons, Embiid, James, Maxey and Edgecombe played the last five minutes, and Dean Wade had replaced Embiid by the horn. With 11 seconds left, Maxey missed a driving finger roll and James tipped it in for 96-91, his sixth point of the final period. OG Anunoby dunked, Maxey hit both free throws for 98-93, Anunoby missed a step-back three and Edgecombe took the rebound. The 41-year-old was the closer.
Is Anfernee Simons for real, or is this just a hot week?
It is two games, so call it a hot streak with receipts. After 12 points at Indiana, Simons scored 21 on 7-of-11 shooting, went 5-of-8 from three and was +6 in 32 minutes off the bench. That mattered because the rest of the shooting was ugly: leave out Maxey and Simons, and the Sixers went 4-of-18 from deep. Grade: A. He was also on the floor for the whole closing stretch, which tells you what Nurse thinks.
Should anyone worry about Maxey's minus and Embiid's 3-of-12?
Some. Maxey gets a B: 27 points on 10-of-19, but the Inquirer's Gina Mizell had him at 10-of-14 after 21 minutes, so he went 0-for-5 the rest of the way and finished -1 in 38 minutes. Embiid gets a C-plus: 3-of-12, 0-for-4 from three and four turnovers, offset by seven assists and a +8. The night's best plus-minus was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's +9 in 21 minutes. Adem Bona and Wade were each -6.
What changes with Charlotte up next?
At 5-1, Philly is the second seed, three games clear of 11th, and on pace for 68-14, which is cute after six games. Charlotte is 3-3, has lost two straight and is missing Kon Knueppel, Coby White, Grant Williams and Kylan Boswell. Brown and Jabari Walker both carry an estimated return of today. Barlow and Fall are listed for November 4. After that come the Bulls, then road games at Detroit and Cleveland.
Did Jaylen Brown play against the Knicks?
No. Brown sat out with a knee issue, and his estimated return is October 31 at Charlotte.
Who led the Sixers in scoring against the Knicks?
Tyrese Maxey led with 27. Anfernee Simons added 21 off the bench, and LeBron James had 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, including the tip-in that sealed it.
