Key Takeaways From 76ers-Knicks Christmas Day Game

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 119-112 on Christmas Day and here is what stood out the most from this matchup.

Christmas Day was full of high-level competition in the NBA and everything started with the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

Up as many as 14 points in the first-half, the Knicks were cruising along until the 76ers chiseled away at New York’s lead, cutting it to only three ahead of halftime.

The story of this game came in the second-half, as the 76ers made some adjustments defensively and they began to see shots fall from the perimeter, specifically from James Harden and Georges Niang off-the-bench.

Niang was fantastic in this game, scoring 16 points on 6-11 shooting, 4-9 from three-point range, and he hit a huge three-pointer early on in the fourth quarter to give the Sixers their first lead of the game.

While New York did close the game on a 10-5 run over the final five minutes of action, it was not enough to overcome the Sixers, who went on a 21-4 run in the fourth quarter, hitting four threes during this run.

Philadelphia defeated New York 119-112 on Christmas Day, putting them just three games out of first-place in the Eastern Conference. As for the Knicks, they are now 18-16 on the season and still clinging to the 6-seed spot in the East with a handful of teams looking to pass them.

This game seemed to be in the Knicks’ control up until it wasn’t and the 76ers ran away with things late, so here is what we learned from this matchup between two teams that could meet one another in the playoffs this season.

De’Anthony Melton Is The “Glue Guy” In Philadelphia

Joel Embiid is the MVP candidate in Philadelphia, James Harden is a former league MVP who has fully embraced his role as the facilitator and playmaker for this team and Tyrese Maxey, when healthy, is arguably the team’s second-best scoring weapon.

With Maxey out though, De’Anthony Melton has stepped up into the starting rotation for the Sixers and he has been fantastic. In 27 minutes against the Knicks, Melton had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, shooting 5-8 from the floor, all of his made shots coming from the perimeter.

Melton’s ability to make plays and score out on the perimeter, as well as be a hard-nosed defender has really given the 76ers’ rotations a spark and the difference he has made coming off-the-bench vs. being in the starting lineup is tremendous.

In seven games coming off-the-bench, De’Anthony Melton has averaged 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 42.1 percent from three-point range.

Not bad at all.

However, in 22 games as a starter in Philadelphia, Melton has averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range. With Tyrese Maxey missing the team’s last 17 games, Melton has averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range in this span.

Every championship-level team in this league needs to have a guy that can hold things together on both ends of the floor and so far this season, De’Anthony Melton has stepped up and proven to be this guy for the 76ers.

When Maxey returns, it will be interesting to see how Melton’s role changes going back to the bench, but nonetheless, he will continue to be an impactful player on either end of the floor for his team.

Rebounding Could Hold Sixers Back

The Knicks did not pull out a victory in this one, but their rebounding kept them in this game and really allowed them to take a big lead over the 76ers in the first-half.

New York outrebounded Philadelphia 46-32 in this game and 12-5 on the offensive glass. Obviously rebounding has been a main concern for the 76ers all season long, but against a bigger, lengthier team in the Knicks, they really struggle on the interior.

Joel Embiid can only do so much for this team and with him on the bench, the 76ers really do not have another strong rebounding presence even though Tobias Harris has been a really good rebounder for them as of late.

Mitchell Robinson had 16 rebounds for the Knicks, 7 of which came on the offensive-end of the floor, RJ Barrett had 10 rebounds and Julius Randle had 8 rebounds.

In order to potentially reach the NBA Finals, the 76ers will have to get past the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. All of those teams have length and strong rebounders on their roster, which is why this game on Christmas was somewhat concerning for the Sixers.

Tightening things up on the interior and really going after rebounds must be a point of emphasis moving forward because you cannot expect to win many games if you are constantly getting outrebounded by double-figures, especially on the offensive glass!

As things stand right now, the 76ers rank 28th in the NBA in rebounding and 21st in the league in defensive rebounding.

Whether they look to add another big man ahead of the trade deadline or work with the personnel that they have, the 76ers must value rebounding if they are to find success in a very talented Eastern Conference this season.

New York’s Second-Unit Is Very Concerning

If you told me that the Knicks would get 75 combined points from RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle against a great defensive team like the 76ers, I would think New York won or barely lost this game.

Well, the Knicks did lose by just seven points, but they were outplayed throughout the entirety of the fourth quarter and while there are a handful of reasons you could point to as to why the Knicks blew their lead over Philadelphia, their stars got tired and their second unit did not deliver.

New York is rolling with a nine-man rotation right now, which they have found a ton of success with, but this is a defensive-focused rotation. Isaiah Hartenstein, Jericho Sims and Miles McBride are not offensive threats and any scoring the Knicks get from them is a bonus.

So much pressure is put on Randle, Barrett and Brunson to do everything scoring-wise and as a result, they get worn down and teams like the 76ers, who are poised and able to beat you in a couple of other than posting Joel Embiid up, are able to take advantage of them.

This loss for the Knicks is not necessarily concerning in the sense of who they lost to, as Philadelphia is a contender in the Eastern Conference, but games like this are concerning for the Knicks from an offensive standpoint because this is yet another example of their glaring weakness – the fact that this team truly struggles to score.

Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish are all offensive-minded players on the Knicks bench and none of these three guys saw the floor in this game.

At some point, it seems like the Knicks must make a move ahead of the trade deadline and bring in someone that they trust in their second unit not just defensively, but someone who can be a shooting and or scoring threat off-the-dribble because when they needed a gift offensively against the Sixers on Christmas, all they got was coal!

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