Boiled down to its basics the NBA is simple. It is a superstar league, the more of them you have the better you are. There were two of them on the court at Madison Square Garden Sunday, unfortunately for the home crowd, both of them play for the 76ers. 

The Knicks lost 125-109 in an entertaining matinee against the new look 76ers.

 For Philadelphia, it was more of an Embiid-oriented game on offense. Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims put up a good fight against the MVP-frontrunner, but they could not keep Embiid from getting to the line. Embiid shot 27 free throws, his career high, and the most any player has attempted this season. With Embiid playing the way he is, there is not much more either could have done to slow him down.  They forced some jump shots, but once he gets in the paint the options are fouling or surrendering a dunk. Embiid actually did not hit many of his jumpers—he 2-for-13 on shots outside the restricted area. Both Knick centers fouled out early in the fourth. 

Harden was more passive, setting up others for 16 assists, but did score 25 points. It seems his chemistry with Embiid is going to be alright (go figure). 

Outside the center duo, the defense had defensive lapses, most noticeably on fast breaks. Frustrantely, Randle surrendered some baskets for failing to hustle back after a missed shot. Tyrese Maxey shined. 

Evan Fournier and Immanuel Quickley kept the team competitive in the second half. Fournier stopped the Knicks from stalling in the second half by creating threes. Quickley hit a pair of threes, including a three pointer to cut the lead to one before the end of the third. Even though his percentages are down this season, Quickley has still shown he is able to make big shots when needed. 

Continued Free Throws Troubles

Barrett talked after his career-high performance about how he was pissed he lost out on so many potential points from the free throw line. He went 14-for-22 from the line that game. The team overall has been a poor free throw shooting team, ranking 25th in the league. Barrett is the most blame for that poor percentage, he averages five attempts per game, shooting 68% The issues from the line continued Sunday afternoon with the team shooting 22-for-35. Not the lead reason why they lost, however it is another thing hurting this team from winning basketball games. 

The Knicks have a rematch against the 76ers Wednesday. That gives the team 72 hours to figure out a way to stop a 7-foot freight train with mastered footwork and touch. 

Good luck.

Header Photo Courtesy of ESPN