Joel Embid rolled him midway through the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He sat on 31 points, a performance that had the makings of another monster night for the NBA‘s score leader.
And yet, on perhaps the biggest regular season leg the league has to offer, the Sixers franchise player was content to play as a spectator.
After the Sixers got a defensive rebound, Embiid pointed the finger George Niang. Embiid makes more than $30 million more per season than Niang, but he saw his teammate playing a key role in putting the Knicks’ defense in a bind. Specifically, New York Julius Randle struggled defensively every time Niang screened for James Harden. Thus, Embiid pointed the finger at the man known as “The Minivan”.
Niang, who made a 3-pointer on the same pick-and-pop action as the previous possession, struck again. Harden drew two defenders, and when Jalen Brunson turned his man to help Randle, Niang quickly moved the ball to De’Anthony Melton. Then, after Melton drove and returned the ball to Niang, the Sixers’ best 3-point shooter of the season was wide open.
As Embiid watched, he liked what he saw. The second Niang let go, Embiid spread his arms out in expectation. Once the ball fell through the net, Embiid headed to the corner to shout out to the New York crowd. He knew a timeout was coming, just like he knew a 3-point Niang was coming seconds earlier.
The Sixers beat the Knicks 119-112 On Christmas Matinee, extending their winning streak to eight games and their overall record to 20-12 as they continue to climb the standings. And it’s that specific streak, with an overwhelming level of offensive talent choosing from a menu of enticing options, that makes you wonder how the Sixers got here at this point, just 2.5 games behind the best record of the NBA.
It’s no surprise the Sixers find themselves in this position over Christmas. But the way they did it didn’t go to the script. Heading into the season, the Sixers’ plan for success was “an elite offense, slightly above average defense.” Even after shredding the Knicks on Sunday, the Sixers are averaging just 113.8 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, good for 14th in the league.
But this offensive unit that was on display in the Garden? It was not an average offensive unit.
Some of the average offensive production this season comes down to Embiid, Harden and Tyrese Maxey all missing a lot of time with injuries (Maxey is still out after fracturing his foot five weeks ago). Now Embiid and Harden, at least, have both taken shape as we approach mid-season.
Embiid, who was dominant for nearly two months, rocked an unusually tough first half to score 35 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field against the Knicks. After relying on the free-throw line to keep him afloat, a tool he can use to elevate his floor during down performances, Embiid found a rhythm once he returned from the locker room after halftime. . He shot 8 of 12 in the second half and made it look easy.
The Knicks played just one cover against the Sixers star big man. Michael Robinson He’s a solid defender, but on this play Embiid casually walks him into the lane and throws a hook at him.
As the game progressed, Embiid was more patient waiting for the assist defense and the score. When the Knicks defense showed help, Embiid found P.J. Tucker for a 3 point game. Now that Embiid has improved his pass and ground vision, there’s no good way to defend him.
Harden saved one of his best offensive games of the season for the big stage, finishing with 29 points, 13 assists and just one turnover. Since stumbling in Houston in his first game back from injury, Harden’s numbers have been excellent: 21.6 points and 12.8 assists per game on 61% true shooting. On Sunday, Harden’s scoring kept the Sixers afloat when Embiid rested. Montrezl Harrell, Embiid’s backup, finished a plus-13 in 14 minutes despite shooting 0 of 2 from the field. It was mostly Harden’s doing.
Harden shot 5 of 11 from 3-point range and 10 of 11 from the free throw line. When he tackled Randle and the other weaker Knicks defenders in on-screen action, he splashed some deep 3s.
Of course, this game would have been less entertaining if the Sixers hadn’t waited until the fourth quarter to stop the Knicks’ offense. It’s the confusing other end of the spectrum with this Sixers season so far. The Sixers rank fifth in points allowed per 100 possessions this season, which is an excellent rating. But it certainly didn’t feel like we were watching one of the league’s elite units when the Knicks hit 95 points in three quarters.
The main stat that challenges the 76ers’ defensive rating is that opponents are shooting just 32.7 from beyond the arc, last in the NBA. There’s good reason to believe that at least some of that cold shooting is luck breaking in the direction of the Sixers rather than something Philly is doing to limit open 3-point looks. The Knicks, especially Brunson and Randle, got everything they wanted in isolation for long stretches of the game. Tucker, who was brought in primarily to bolster the defense, was consistently dusted off the dribble by Randle, who scored 35 points.
The Sixers opted for a zone defense that slowed the Knicks in a 16-point fourth quarter, but it seemed more of a temporary fix than a main fix. The Sixers play in the zone on 6.5% of their defensive possessions, the sixth most in the league, according to Synergy Sports. It’s a strategy Doc Rivers relied on when man-to-man defense seemed a little slow. The Knicks also beat the Sixers on the defensive glass during stretches, finishing the game rebounding on 32.6% of their misses.
But the Sixers have also shown versatility. Melton sprinkled in hot shots (5 of 7 from beyond the arc) to accompany his defense. Additionally, the Sixers replaced Niang for Tucker in the fourth quarter, something they’ve done frequently lately. With Tobias Harris improvement as a catch-and-shoot player, the Sixers have a bunch of options around the Harden-Embiid two-game. It’s much easier to defend when the other team has to get the ball out of the net.
After Niang’s 3-pointer, the Sixers returned to the same action. When the Knicks traded Randle to Harden, he dusted him in isolation.
It’s unclear what the future holds for the team. But on Christmas in New York, the Sixers played as a team and showed offensively just how prolific they can be.
(Joel Embiid top photo: Dustin Satloff/NBAE via Getty Images)
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