3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following latest road loss to Knicks
3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following latest road loss to Knicks
NEW YORK -- The Philadelphia 76ers were unable to snap their losing streak as it reached nine on Tuesday with a 105-91 loss to the New York Knicks. The Sixers had a big third quarter to charge back into the game, but the Knicks eventually put them away in this one.
The Knicks knocked down 12 triples compared to just six for Philadelphia and got 20 points off the bench from former Sixer Landry Shamet who knocked down six triples of his own. OG Anunoby had 27 as well for New York.
Quentin Grimes had 26 points and five assists for the Sixers, Adem Bona had nine points and eight rebounds, and Lonnie Walker IV had 11 and seven rebounds with four assists. Ricky Council IV added 15 points while Alex Reese had 10 and Marcus Bagley had nine and eight boards.
Here are the three biggest takeaways following the loss:
Grimes' point guard minutes
Coach Nick Nurse has said recently that he wants to see Grimes at the point guard spot and see him handle the ball a bit more. He got the start at the point against the Knicks and it was a mixed bag. He did have five assists, but he had three turnovers and he wasn't his usual aggressive self as he looked to get teammates involved. Nurse started Jared Butler at the point guard spot in the second half and moved Grimes off the ball to get him going on the offensive end. Obviously, those point guard minutes will be a work in progress.
"I just, again, I thought we were starting kind of our best available guys," Nurse said after the loss. "I wanted to play Q some on the ball. I just didn't love it in this game. I just wanted to get a different look and get him off the ball some and try to get him going, which ended up being pretty good. We had a really good third quarter, a little better lineup, a little bit better ball-handling there for a while. It's a big factor in the game. We turned the ball over a lot."
Young guys getting reps
The Sixers are, obviously, not having the season anybody expected when the 2024-25 season began back in October. This was a team that was expected to contend for a championship, but instead, they have flopped due to a number of issues such as injuries and players underperforming. With that being said, these last handful of games are going to be important for guys like Justin Edwards, Walker, Council, Grimes, and others to get the all-important reps needed to grow as players in this league.
"The repetition is the one thing you said that can help these younger guys," said veteran Kyle Lowry. "Just the experience, and at the end of the day, these guys aren't just playing for one team. They're auditioning for 29 other teams including our organization. So it gives them a chance to be seen, get better as basketball players, get better as professionals. It's just great for these guys to have this opportunity. Unfortunately, we're not winning games, but they're working hard, and hopefully it translates in the next couple."
Walker the playmaker
Speaking of those reps, it is important for the Sixers to get a guy like Walker going as a playmaker. The Sixers already know that he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, but if they can unlock the playmaking part of his game, then he is going to be a much more well-rounded player for Philadelphia as it decides who will be on the team in 2025-26 when the Sixers are a much healthier group.
"Yeah, for sure," Walker said. "I mean, I probably should have had a little bit more assists today as well, but I've definitely been growing in that aspect. Just making the game simple, manipulating the game. The more passing you get, the easier it is to score because they're worried about your passing and things of that nature. So I'm just trying to make it as simple as possible for myself and for my teammates. Bona be at the right places. I had a couple kick out to the corners, so I'm just trying to grow and show what I'm capable of doing as far as for the future of this team, and hopefully I can be a part of it."
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