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Hobbled 76ers Visit MSG on Saturday to Take on Hobbled Knicks
The post-trade deadline Knicks look to crawl to the finish line, including a tank match up with Philly
The injury report for both the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks is piling up. After losing Kristaps Porzingis (sprained ankle) on Thursday, the Knicks will take the court without three key rotation players in Porzingis, Courtney Lee (illness), and Joakim Noah (hamstring).
The 76ers might be worse off. “The Process” himself, Joel Embiid (knee), is still out for at least another week, Tiago Splitter (calf, hip) is still deep in his physical rehab program, and Ben Simmons (foot) heard the worst news possible on Friday that he would miss the entirety of his rookie season.
Knicks fans can relax, though. Porzingis told reporters at Knicks’ practice that his sprain is mild and he suffered no ligament damage.
So who is taking the court Saturday?
Two Knicks that were, until Thursday’s Trade Deadline officially passed, unsure which uniform they’d be wearing come Friday. Derrick Rose, who was rumored to be moving to Minnesota in a swap for Ricky Rubio, will stay a Knick for the remainder of his $21 million expiring contract. Rose’s agent, BJ Armstrong, recently told ESPN that Rose “wants to be in New York,” and “feels comfortable there.”
Rose is averaging 15.7 points over his last 10 games, and during the Knicks’ only game against the 76ers earlier this season, a 98–97 loss, Rose put up 25 points, four assists, and two rebounds.
Carmelo Anthony is also still a Knick, to some fans’ surprise. Despite the front office holding onto Anthony, he remains dubious that they have a long-term plan. After a loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday, Anthony was asked by the NY Post if he understood Phil Jackson’s vision. “No, to be honest with you,” Anthony continued to say, “I think they [were] planning on the trade deadline and they were trying to make moves. That was one plan. Now they got to get back to the drawing board for another plan for the future of the team.”
Anthony is averaging 26.5 points over his last 10 games. When the Knicks last played the 76ers, Anthony scored 28 points and added three blocks, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
The Knicks will lean on Anthony and Rose to carry their offense Saturday without Porzingis, as well as look to role players Ron Baker, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and Lance Thomas to fill Courtney Lee’s presence on the wing.
The last time the 76ers played the Knicks, they found a spark of magic late in the fourth quarter. The Knicks let a 10-point lead slip away from their hands over the last five minutes of the game, and T.J. McConnell hit the short baseline buzzer-beater over the outstretched hand of Anthony to win the game 98–97. Since then, Embiid has missed extended time, and Philadelphia is 5–8.
With Embiid in street clothes, players like Robert Covington have stepped up to fill the void. Covington is scoring 16.6 points per game in February, and has also snatched three steals per game over that same stretch. The last time he played New York, he put up 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. His outside shooting has helped the 76ers keep their offense afloat.
Jahlil Okafor, the natural candidate to soak up Embiid’s minutes, has not grabbed the spotlight the way many expected him to. He’s playing only 23.0 minutes per game in February and has shot just 45.6 percent over that span, a very low mark for a traditional post-up big that lives around the rim. During a 120–112 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday, Okafor took another step back in the rotation as Richuan Holmes stepped in and played five more minutes than Okafor.
The Knicks are 1–4 over their last five games. Their franchise is a mess off the court. Players have no idea where they stand in the front office’s vision, and some don’t even think the front office has a vision. But things might be even worse on the court right now. Joakim Noah has hardly played all season, and the team’s defense has really struggled without him. Rose, a pick-and-roll point guard, recently told Ian Begley of ESPN that the Knicks’ triangle offense is “just random basketball.”
But as deep as the Knicks’ problems appear right now, a string of wins against teams like the 76ers would buy a lot of good will. Although the playoff picture is probably out of sight for New York right now, they’re only three spots away from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and this year’s draft class is loaded. It never feels good to root for your team to lose, but if you’re a Knicks fan and want a replacement for Derrick Rose, there are about a half-dozen point guard prospects that could change a franchise this summer and Rose is on a massive expiring deal which will free up a lot of space for a potential free agent.
For now, though, the Knicks will shelve tanking and look to avenge their loss to the 76ers on Saturday. Tip-off is at 7:30pm ET at Madison Square Garden.
— Harrison Liao, site writer
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