Nick Nurse Dishes Thoughts on Sixers' Second Half Efforts vs. Knicks

How did Nick Nurse feel about the Philadelphia 76ers' second half effort against the New York Knicks in Game 1?

Mar 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reacts to a / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The first matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks managed to be a rather tight affair, with both teams going tit for tat from the initial tip-off.

The Sixers would come out of the gates swinging, scoring 35 points in the first quarter alone, thanks in large part to an impressive 15-point performance from Joel Embiid, with Tyrese Maxey contributing seven points elsewhere.

While the Knicks managed to be a little cold in the first 12 minutes, they started to heat up in the second quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 33-12, with Miles McBride contributing a massive 13 points, which included three makes from beyond the arc.

Despite going into the locker room at halftime down by 12 points, with the potential absence of the reigning MVP hanging over their head, the Sixers came out the gates hot in the third quarter, as Maxey and Lowry would combine for 24 points, which would give their team the lead back midway through the quarter.

Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse discussed the position they were in exiting the first half, expressing that he was confident in his team’s ability to come back, given their similar experience against the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament.

“At halftime, I said, ‘We got them right where we want them, this is right where we were the other night, down 12,” explained Nurse, “We just played better. I thought we generated some better shots than what we were able to score in the first half.”

Towards the end of the third quarter, the Sixers found themselves on top by six points, with several wide-open chances from downtown that they wouldn’t be able to cash in on, something that Nurse highlighted as the opportunity that led the Knicks back into the game.

“Even in the guts of the game, you throw all this stuff in the trash,” stated Nurse, “We had three wide-open threes, and we were up three to take it up six, and didn't make one, and they made three in a row.”

The fourth quarter would start with Philadelphia in the lead and end with New York on top, following a close quarter that saw the host’s lead start to balloon towards the end as Josh Hart and the aforementioned McBride started to drain numerous shots.

All things considered, Nurse was content with how the Sixers responded in the second half, on both ends of the court, even during the periods of play where the Knicks found the bottom of the basket.

“I thought we did an excellent job on offense almost the entire second half, we did a little better job on defense, obviously,” said Philadelphia’s head coach, “We had some really good possessions, and even the possessions that they made their last four threes on, I'm not sure I'm taking those possessions back, I think we were doing what we wanted to do there.”

Nurse and the Sixers will have an opportunity to bounce back in Game 2, which is slated for Monday night, with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.