PHILADELPHIA -- ThePhiladelphia 76ersare facing elimination as theyfell to the New York Knicks 108-94as they now trail the series 3-0. They are in a position that nobody wants to be in as there has been no instance of a team rallying to win a series after trailing 3-0 in NBA history. The Sixers will now have to dig deep in order to avoid elimination on Sunday afternoon.
The Sixers were led by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 22 points and eight rebounds, Joel Embiid had 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Tyrese Maxey had 17 points and seven assists. Paul George had 15 points and five rebounds while VJ Edgecombe added 11 and seven rebounds.
Here are the three biggest takeaways following the loss:
Bench scoring an issue
The Knicks received a big spark from their second unit all night long as former Sixer Landry Shamet hopped off the bench and scored 15 points for them. Mitchell Robinson had six points and Jordan Clarkson had four while Jose Alvarado had three points. Total that up and New York received 28 bench points. The Sixers did not score a single bench point until the 11:00 mark of the fourth quarter when Quentin Grimes drilled a 3-pointer. The Sixers have to find a way to get some type of scoring from the bench unit as this series moves forward.
Coach Nick Nurse stated on the bench unit:
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"Just trying to find the right combinations of who stays and who comes in, and try to make sure we generate some makeable shots and things like that. I think it kind of started a little bit at the end of the first there, where we made some subs, and we didn't hold the water very good there going at the end of the first, and then again at the start of the fourth. We kind of got ourselves right back in the game At the start of the fourth, (Jalen) Brunson was having a good game. So, we decided to blitz him a little bit, and they scored, I think, on three straight blitzes."
George starts fast, but can't sustain
This has been a theme in this series as George has started games hot, but then has tailed off as the game wears on. The 9-time All-Star was fantastic in the first quarter as he scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. He then went scoreless the rest of the night on 0-for-9 shooting and didn't take a single free throw attempt. Obviously, George can't control whether he gets calls or not. That's on the officiating, but it is so important for the Sixers to keep George involved and keep him in rhythm. He is essential to everything the Sixers want to do.
"I think there's probably a couple mixed in there that are tough (shots), but he's also made a lot of those tough ones early in the game, too," said Nurse. "I think he did have a couple tough looks there as the game went on, but I thought he also had a couple decent looks. I mean, I got to look at it. Just got to get him in in some better situations, I think the post-ups and stuff we've done, he's gotten some good looks and made those. He did have a couple more of those as the game went on, and just didn't go in. Just gotta keep getting him in the ball in some places where he likes it."
A quiet Maxey night
The Sixers received 17 points from Maxey, but he only took 12 shots. Now, he did make eight of those shots, but he was also only 1-for-3 from deep. The Knicks deserve credit for their aggressive blitzing as Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Miles McBride all bothered Maxey a bit when he crossed halfcourt to force him to give it up. Guys like Clarkson and Shamet bothered the 2-time All-Star as well. It was one of those nights where the Sixers have to find ways to make life easier for Maxey as they move forward.
"Just be available," said Embiid. "Everybody has to be. You know? I feel like every single time we blitzed Brunson. They made us pay. It comes down to shot-making. I feel like we had a lot of good shots tonight. They made theirs and we didn't make ours. Just more available, and just go from there."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire:3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following Game 3 loss to Knicks at home