Rewind vs. New York Knicks - 2/27/20

without Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. I'm Brian seltered down here at the center, leading the way for the Sixers to Bias Harris his second highest scoring performance of the season with thirty four points. He was fourteen of twenty one from the field, three of six from three, seven rebounds, seven assists, and most importantly, you could tell he was dialed and he was locked in from the outset of

the game. He scored the Sixers first seven points, had fourteen in the first quarter, and twenty three by intermission. That is exactly what the seventy Sixers needed coming off a tough fourteen point loss against slowly Cleveland last night, a game in which Harris quite frankly did not have his best night. Al Horford also had an off night against the Cavaliers yesterday. Tonight, he was really, really good.

This is like vintage Al Horford what we saw tonight in just under thirty four minutes, fifteen points, nine assists, that's the season high, plus seven boards, five of ten from the field. He had a couple of clutch baskets late when the Knicks were nipping at these seventy sixers. Heels and shake. Milton continues to do great things when given opportunities. In two straight games starting in place of

Ben Simmons, Milton is combined for thirty nine points. He had twenty last night nineteen tonight, six of seven from the field, get this, five or five from outside the arc, three rebounds and four assists plus a couple block shots. Josh Richardson five or thirteen from the field, Oh, four from three, seven rebounds, eleven points. But when the Sixers needed a boost in the third quarter, if you were following the whole game, Richardson was very important during that stretch.

He scored eight in a row at one point to give the Sixers some needed breathing room and separation against the Knicks team that never quite went away. Tonight But the Sixers the moral of the story, they got to win, they needed to win. They are on the winning side of things for the sixth time in their last eight games, now thirty seven and twenty three. They sweep the season series from the Knicks would drop to seventeen and forty two.

Tom mcguinnis called tonight's game. The seventy six is getting great performances, Tom, from guys who needed to give them great performances. And we'll start with Tobias, Harris and Al Horford. Well, Brian, I'm gonna turn it around and go right back. You know what was the first question in coaches press conference?

Didn't somebody say, did you talk to Harris, Richardson and Horford about you know, getting a little more aggressive and coach of Well night, Yeah, we're gonna have a pregame meeting. But the point was that obviously, without Ben and Joel, somebody was gonna have to step up. And it's obvious that those three guys, amongst the starters and the veterans, and particularly Harris, who's average twenty, would have to have

that mindset. And you could tell right from the tap that Tobias had that with the way he was getting after it, driving it, shooting it, and they picked it up and then Shake, as Brett out said, you know, it's so it's a little bit of a surprise he's gone five for five and nine of eleven from three over the last two games, because that's incredible shooting the best of his career. But it's not a surprise that

he's been been able to do what he's done. And uh, you know, like people get into it, is he a one or is he a two? Well, he's a basketball player that can handle the ball. He played college point guard at SMU, and he can score the ball. He's gonna play, and he is a rotation player for the Sixers for now until right because he has proven he's going to be able to play, and he is. Again, you don't have to run things for him. He's just Uh.

It's it's great how sometimes talent emerges, opportunity steps up, and Shake Bilton has really taken it. Horford had one of his best games of the year, without doubt. And You've got a lot of really solid performances, incremental performances throughout the course of the night from guys like Quark Mas and Buttis had a nice stint early in the game, Kyle Quinn came in and a nice victory here against a New York team that you know, just hasn't been

able to get over the top. They've they've been competitive and like I said, they you know, obviously this is a difficult season for them, but they did not go away lightly and the Sixers had to take the game, and they did seventy six ers over the next one fifteen one oh six. There is a report from the Athletic following the game tonight Joel Embiid will be reevaluated for his left shoulder sprain in one week, so that'll

be the next time we probably get an update. But this time is to the point that you actually talked about with Al Horford after the game, like this the way things work tonight, I mean, that was Al Horford doing what we've seen Al Horford do over the years, and at least for the short term, if this allows him to get into a groove and give the seventy six ers some identity on offense, how they might go through some things. I mean, you can see it work tonight, well,

no doubt about it. Now, it doesn't solve how he plays with Joel, which has been a bit of a concerned throughout the course of the season. But to your overall point, you know, if he gets into a groove. And again, these games are in every other day, you know what I mean. They're playing four games over the

course of eight days. And I've said this so many times in recent years with the scheduled tweaked the way it has been over the last few years, but breathing room in the schedule and the Sixers, these games are on. Three of these games are national TV, so they totally want guys to be able to be in the lineup. And point being that Al Horford in his age, that's going to benefit him. And to your point again, it's just that if he's able to continue this, they're gonna

need him. I mean, these teams are loaded. Look at the Lakers front line, the Clippers and so in their building. So this is a monumental task on the road without your two all stars. But at least you come home and get a victory, recalibrate that, you'll no doubt have a day off tomorrow, practice Saturday morning, then fly out to southern California to get ready for those four games out West Man It really is going to be a

test time. Obviously the Clippers game on Sundays, and everyone will be spry and ready to go back east for that one at three thirty later game on Tuesday against the Lakers. But this is one of those things where, yes, there's been some adversity as of LA for the seventy Sixers, but from a fans standpoint, you really look forward to seeing how things go in these two tests. These are

marquee teams that could come out of the West. Yeah, I'm gonna challenge that spry and ready to go because you're flying out there and then playing at noon out West. So that's a little bit different, you know what I mean. That's an early start time for the first game of a road trip. Just an adjustment done a you know, a plausible excuse or justification or anything like that. But it is a little bit of a different but no

doubt about it. And again the Sixers, what was the number again, thirty some odd national TV games during the course of the year, thirty eight, Wasn't it some incredible number? It was way up there. But think about that, go back five years and the Sixers had none one somewhere

in there in the years past. So to be in that, you know, to be in that conversation and to be able to play again the Lakers and the Clippers like that on national TV and then later in the week against the Warriors a week from Saturday, no doubt about it. And again you're gonna need it. You're gonna need everybody to step up and do it. I mean, Joel's had some of his best games and staples against the Lakers. Sixers won their last year. Yeah, it's gonna be tough

on those two teams. Right there are the two teams that people project to play in the Western Conference Finals with Lebron and the Lakers against Kauai and the Clippers. But like I said, to be able to come home and gain a victory and then, you know, as difficult as it's been on the road, at some point, you've got to turn that around. You can't just expect to click your heels in the playoffs and start ripping off

road wins. You've got to be able to develop the habits and the success the winning formula on the road. And boy would be beautiful. It showed up and reared itself in these next four games. Well, but by Tom McGinnis after tonight's one fifteen, one oh six win the seventy six Ers, Tom talks to you out west, all right, here's how it sounded, courtesy of the one and only

Tom McGinnis on the Sixers Radio Network. Tobias Harris purposeful. Indeed, at the outset of tonight's game, here's Tobias court lank drive, good man. He scores it on Julius Randall. So New York does give up one hundred and twelve points per game, and Tobias Harris looks like he's gonna score a hundred himself. He's got eleven points already, driving right down the lane

on Julius Randall. It really did seem like the Sixers might need to re enact the famous Wilt Chamberlain photo by the locker stall afterwards, because Harris scored the first seven points of the night for the Sixers, finished with fourteen in the opening frame as the Sixers led a twenty six twenty one after one in the second quarter, Glenn Robinson, the third who made his third start for the seventy Sixers, made a high energy play steal by

thibel Sixers playing ahead, and now here's Al Horford given the lane backing down underhand scoop to Robinson and he gets a jam. So a bad pass by Smith. Thibel came up with it and in the end Horford with another hand scoop pass to Glenn Robinson for a two hand dunk, one of the nine assists on the evening for Horford Glenn Robinson. The third the beneficiary seventy six was led by eleven. They're margin would be sixty one forty six at the break, and the third quarter things

tightened up a little bit more. Josh Richardson was scoreless in the first half. That changed in the third. Here's Tobias and the Josh Richardson with a two hand slam. Great job by Tobias driving it on Mitchell Robinson thinking better of trying to attack him in terms of trying to score it, so he kicks it back and Josh Richardson sores and dunks it with two hands. Seventy two to sixty six. Ers. Lead was eighty seven seventy nine going into the fourth. The Knicks they just would not

go away. They were always scratching at the seventy sixers heels. Al Horford with the second of key at back to back three pointers and now built one on one with Bobby Portis over to Al three ball from the top and that's gone Al Horford with another trade time out New York one hundred eighty five. Horford has come a five man. Just like that, it felt like the Sixers

had some breathing room at last. Not so. The Knicks made it a five point game one oh seven, one h two with about two minutes to go to Bias Harris started the night and he would have a hand in ending it. Here's Harrison a drive, did the corner, Milton three ballers up and gone shake. Milton knocks it out. He's five for five from date. Harrison Milton, back to back freeze ball game seventy seconds to go, the Sixers by eleven, and the Sixers would end up winning one

fifteen one ow eight. A key eight to two mini run in the final two minutes was the ultimate turning point for the Sixers. They're now thirty seven and twenty three. The Knicks drop to seventeen and forty two. Final notes from the final stat sheet, Sixers shoot just under fifty percent from the field. The Knicks shot just over fifty percent to Sixers fifteen for thirty one from outside the arc.

You'll love to see it. That's the highest shooting percentage at forty eight and a half percent for the Sixers in a game in which they've knocked down at least fifteen three pointers this season, Sixers outrebounded the Knicks forty four to thirty nine. They were plus two on the offensive glass. Six Ers just six turnovers. It was overall a low turnover game, only eight committed by the Knicks.

Hop top scorer in the game was Tobias Harris with thirty four to fourteen to twenty one from the field, three to six outside the arc, perfect from the line on three attempts, seven rebounds, seven assists nineteen for Shake Milton now thirty nine points the last two games and

a back to back no less. He was six for seven overall, five for five from three, fifteen, seven and nine in a vintage performance from Al Horford, eleven points from Josh Richardson he had all but one of those points in the third quarter, and eleven for Concorkmas off

the bench. Seventy Sixers will now pack their bags after a practice on Saturday morning, and they will head to the Golden State a four game swing up the coast of California, starting with two games in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon at three thirty against the Clippers and then on Tuesday night late against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday, they'll be at the Sacramento Kings, and after that it is a date with the Golden State Warriors next Saturday.

You've been listening to Rewind, look out for fresh episodes the day after every seventy six Ers game this season.