Getty P.J. Tucker reacts to a play in a Philadelphia 76ers game.
The Philadelphia 76ers seemed to have the New York Knicks on the ropes early in their February 5 game, leading by 21 points against a team that was playing the second night of a back-to-back.
But the Knicks chipped away at the lead and took advantage with Philadelphia’s starters on the bench, outscoring the Sixers by 14 points in the fourth quarter to take a 108-97 victory. After the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers had some harsh words for the bench — though some fans pointed the finger back at Rivers.
Brutal Night for Sixers’ Bench
The Sixers starting unit performed well against a tired Knicks team, with all five turning in a positive plus-minus and center Joel Embiid leading the way with a plus-18. But for as well as the top unit played, the bench struggled even more, with all six bench players with a plus-minus of negative-14 or worse.
After the game, Rivers gave a brutally honest assessment of their performance.
“I thought our second unit came in and struggled,” Rivers said, via The Associated Press. “This is the second time that has happened. The same thing happened in Orlando. Both times, we were scoring too easy. The second group comes in and thinks this is an offensive game and they didn’t see the reason the first group got the lead was because of defense.”
The Sixers’ bench has been the subject of much attention as next week’s NBA trade deadline approaches, with insiders expecting Philadelphia to try upgrading their frontcourt depth behind Embiid. Sunday’s loss could expedite those plans, especially since backup big men Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed were two who struggled the most.
Montrezl Harrell is -15 in 3:17 tonight.
Paul Reed is -14 in 8:25.
That’s how Joel Embiid can be +26 in 30 minutes and Philly can be losing 91-88 with 5:21 remaining.
Sixers led by as many as 21 in the first quarter of this one.
The loss came just a few days after Rivers had given his bench a vote of confidence, saying he would feel comfortable going into the playoffs without any trade deadline upgrades.
“Doc Rivers, asked if he feels like he has bigs behind Joel Embiid that he can trust in the playoffs, says that he does trust Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed in the playoffs and that they’ll push each other,” reporter Austin Krell tweeted. “Adds that PJ Tucker will get a look at the backup center spot, as well.”
Rivers Faces Scrutiny for Rotation
Rivers did not escape criticism for the game, with some pointing to his rotation as a weak point in the crushing loss. As ESPN noted, this is now the second time this week that the 76ers had blown a 20-point lead.
Sixers beat writer Austin Krell said the performance was “unacceptable” for a team with title aspirations.
“The Knicks are on the second night of a back-to-back and went to overtime last night,” he tweeted. “Down 2 starters. Sixers were up 21 in the first quarter. If you want that 2-seed or better, you have to win this game.”
This is the 3rd time the 76ers have blown a 20-point lead in the regular season under Doc Rivers.
Two of the three losses have come in the last week, with Philly blowing 21-pt leads on Sunday against the Knicks and last Monday against the Magic.
But Embiid downplayed the collapse from the Sixers, noting that it’s no longer a rarity for an NBA team to erase a 20-point deficit.
“It’s never easy,” Embiid said, via The Associated Press. “A 20-point lead in the NBA, that’s nothing. Any team can come back and that’s what they did tonight.”