THREE BALL!
It was an inefficient, low-scoring game in this Eastern Conference showdown. The Philadelphia 76ers were able to grind it out and pick up the 79-73 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden behind Buddy Hield’s efficient night off the bench.
Tonight’s matchup was the first game since 2016 that both teams scored less than 80 points. In today’s era with high pace of play and offensive firepower, this contest was the complete opposite. Nearly every player struggled to hit their shots and the final score showcased that, as it looked like a game played in the ‘90s. Both squads shot under 39% from the field and below 30% from three.
Despite all the offensive struggles in this game, Buddy Hield had a good performance as he finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds off the bench while hitting 4 triples and shooting an efficient 67% on the night. Kelly Oubre recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds while Tobias Harris had 11 points and 12 boards, but both players shot under 36% from the field. Paul Reed recorded 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks off the bench, including hitting a clutch triple to put Philly up by 10 with 3:30 left in the game.
Jalen Brunson scored a game high 19 points but on 6/22 efficiency. Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points and 9 rebounds on 35% shooting while Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 10 points off the bench. Josh Hart recorded 9 points and 11 boards while Isaiah Hartenstein also dominated the glass with his 10 rebounds in 23 minutes.
The 76ers improve to 36-28 with this win and sit at the 6th seed in the East with 0.5 a game lead above the 7th seeded Pacers. This was a massive win for Philadelphia without their 2 stars and now they have a slight gap at the moment to avoid the play-in. They’ve been doing their best to stay afloat without their leaders, going 4-6 over their last 10 games and their next matchup will be against the Knicks on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, New York drops to 37-27 with this loss and sit at 4 in the Eastern Conference. This loss against a short handed 76er team is not ideal, as every game in this last month is crucial for seeding purposes. The team from the Garden is 4-6 over their last 10 games and they’ll look to get their redemption on Tuesday against this same Philadelphia squad.
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