CAMDEN, NJ — The Philadelphia 76ers will face the New York Knicks for the first time this season on Friday at Wells Fargo Center. Each division rival should be a great challenge for the other as they prepare to make deep playoff runs later in the season. The Sixers will look to become the first team to beat the Knicks since their acquisition of OG Anunoby.
The Knicks have won both of their first two games since acquiring Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and the Detroit Pistons' 2024 second-round pick. Snagging one of the best trade-block regulars has worked out very well so far for New York, even if it leaves the roster thin at the guard spot without Quickley. A win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Anunoby and Achiuwa's debut game instantly showed the move's proof of concept.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse is fully familiar with Anunoby after spending five years coaching him in Toronto, plus seeing him twice as a member of the Raptors in earlier games this season. He strongly believes that the 26-year-old forward is one of the best defenders the NBA has to offer.
“I've always said he is one of the very best defenders in the league,” Nurse said after the Sixers' Thursday practice. “And what makes him that is his incredible versatility. I say that one night he's guarding [Nikola] Jokic and the next night he's guarding Bradley Beal or something. He can go so far up and down the spectrum of who he can guard and he plays it. He's hard to score against — also is a very good catch-and-shoot shooter.”
Anunoby's defense has not only been huge in wins against tough scorers like Anthony Edwards and DeMar DeRozan but his ability to space the floor and move without the ball has greatly helped open up the offense for Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. In their first games with their new starting forward, the former scored at least 35 points on at least 56 percent shooting in each game and the latter has tallied 27 assists over both games, including a career-high 14 in the first one.
“I think the stuff I've watched so far, too, they seem to be finding him on a lot of cuts,” Nurse said. “I think he's upgraded their team as a fit. Their identity is they want big, strong guys that can play defense — and he's certainly one of those. He's even got a lot of size to him as well. Probably fits in pretty good there. Looks like he's fit in really well in his first couple games.”
Knicks are tough on the boards
Patrick Beverley said he watched the Knicks' win over the Chicago Bulls. The Sixers' backup point guard noted that “the head of the snake” for the Knicks is the combination of Brunson and Randle and pointed out one of their biggest strengths: rebounding.
“They offensive rebound a lot,” Beverley said. “They shoot better than what I expected them to shoot this year. They really shot it well yesterday. They have some energy coming off the bench. [Isaiah] Hartenstein, he's real good defensively in pick-and-roll. We got a good test for us but I think we're gonna be ready.”
The Knicks rank second only to the Utah Jazz in offensive-rebound percentage and are tied for seventh in defensive-rebound percentage. The Sixers rank around the middle of the pack in both areas. Embiid's enhanced commitment to rebounding has been apparent under Nurse but he and his teammates will have to make their best efforts to secure boards.
Even without Mitchell Robinson, one of the very best offensive rebounders in the league and a strong presence in the paint on defense who is out for the rest of the season, New York finds ways to manufacture second chances and take care of business on the glass. Hartenstein has averaged 10.1 boards per game since joining the starting lineup in Robinson's absence and just tallied a career-high 20 against the Bulls.
That energy coming off the bench comes mostly from Josh Hart, a tenacious rebounder at the guard spot. Few players similar in height to the 6-foot-4 Villanova product can get rebounds like he does. Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo and Quentin Grimes provide New York with more athletic wings that can also crash the glass to support the rebounding efforts from Hartenstein and Randle.
“Obviously, they crash from the corner, so that's always tough when you're keyed in boxing elbows and you keyed in on certain guys, so they get a running start,” Beverley said of the rebounding the Knicks get from their perimeter players. “So, it's kind of hard but we've been doing a solid job at it.
“My biggest key to my team is always win the rebounding game,” the Sixers guard continued. “We win the rebounding game, we get a chance to win a ton of games. That's what all the NBA is about, the rebounding game. A lot of people don't talk about it but most teams who win the rebounding game really win the game. So, that's been my focus this year.”
Beverley will likely spend some time defending Brunson, as could Jaden Springer, whose services could be needed with De'Anthony Melton and Robert Covington's statuses for the game have yet to be determined. Both of the Sixers' defensive-minded wings are dealing with a respective injury that could keep them out.
“Man, he's a smart, crafty guard,” Springer said of Brunson. “He knows how to score the ball and he knows how to run his team. So, being able to play against a guy like that should be fun, for sure.”
The Knicks may not be a championship-caliber team but they are quickly becoming a pesky squad that’s tough to play against night in and night out. The Sixers, who are looking to embrace physicality themselves, have a tough matchup ahead of them while New York gets another crack at facing one of the best teams in basketball.
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