Sixers hold off Knicks at the Garden to end skid
NEW YORK >> Joel Embiid, his sore left ankle no longer throbbing, made a gametime decision to play.
Jimmy Butler, his sore ribs having healed, made a game-time decision to play.
J.J. Redick, who’d been sidelined last week with a back issue, came across the bridge from his Brooklyn home. And played.
Ben Simmons, his message that the Sixers had been playing “soft” having been lifted from his chest, played.
They all played Sunday in Madison Square Garden, all of the marquee (Non-Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Division) 76ers. And with the early willingness of the Knicks to provide appropriate comic foil, Brett Brown’s newer-look team showed what it can be when at its best, leading from start to finish in a 108-105 victory.
“We are still learning how to play with each other,” Embiid said. “But you can see the potential. You see how good we can be. I thought that was a good sign to see.”
Embiid missed the previous game, a loss to Atlanta. Redick was unavailable two nights earlier, when the Sixers lost in Washington. A recent respiratory ailment sidelined Butler for two games, and he nearly didn’t play Sunday.
But with all his veterans in the starting lineup, Brown watched the Sixers roll to a 26-8 lead, good enough to set the tone, even if the Knicks did offer a second-half response. Simmons went for 20 points and 22 rebounds. Embiid scored 26. Redick, who sputtered against Atlanta, bagged 22. Butler had 16. Even veteran Wilson Chandler produced, contributing seven points and some veteran-knowhow plays.
For most of the game, it was almost how the Sixers had it envisioned when they transitioned from a development process to a relentless hunt for stars.
“To regroup, to get our group back, to get our spirit pointed in the right direction, to co-exist, to continue to find ways to play the ‘team,’ that’s all that I care about,” Brown said. “I am appreciating the talent, appreciating these guys and helping them to move forward. It’s all about where you are going to end up. So there will be some pain that we will go through now. I believe it is heading in the right direction. And to have those guys available was fantastic.”
The trick of fitting Butler into the plan has been public and difficult. Long a known coach-challenger, Butler reportedly has questioned his use at the offensive end, particularly in pick-and-roll situations.
“He inherited us, we inherited him, and he has come into a system that won a lot of games,” Brown said. “As of Dec. 25, 2017, the Philadelphia 76ers had the best record in the NBA. So we were doing OK. And he inherited that. He inherited that system, and we inherited him.