December 18, 2015
Matt Slocum/AP
New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis drives on Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor.
The last time these two teams met, the Philadelphia 76ers were without their star rookie Jahlil Okafor -- he was serving his two-game suspension -- and that took some of the excitement out of their matchup with the New York Knicks.
On Friday, however, Okafor was in the lineup against the player selected two spots behind him in the 2015 draft, fourth-overall pick Kristaps Porzingas. The Latvian rookie scored 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Knicks' 99-87 win over the Sixers earlier this month.
That was not the case this time, as Porzingis finished with eight points (3-9 FG), four rebounds and three blocks. Meanwhile, Okafor finished with 20 points (9-17 FG) and five rebounds.
The one thing that did remain constant was the game's outcome. It was another win for the Knicks, one that would have been much more lopsided if not for a late run by the Sixers. Instead, it was just a 10-point win for Carmelo Anthony and Co.
Here's what I saw at The Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, as the Sixers fell to 1-27 in the season.
• Jahlil Okafor is unbelievably gifted in the post. I feel like I write this every time I cover the Sixers, but each game he does something different that leaves me wondering how he can be just 20 years old. Here's just one example against the Knicks, specifically Porzingis.
Rookie vs. rookie dunk. #76ers Jahlil Okafor takes #Knicks Kristaps Porzingis to school. pic.twitter.com/U4DNFai1L1
— The Sports Daily (@SportsDailyBlog) December 19, 2015
• As for Porzingis, he spent most of the night guarding Nerlens Noel, with Robin Lopez on Okafor. And when Porzingis was out there without Lopez for a stretch in the second quarter, Okafor scored a couple of quick buckets on him -- including the above dunk -- which prompted Knicks coach Derek Fisher to put Lopez back into the game and have the rookie cover Nerlens Noel instead.
Two of Porzingis' blocks came in quick succession in the second quarter. They were both against Tony Wroten, and they were both pretty embarrassing. Here's one:
#Knicks Kristaps Porzingis serves Tony Wooten his rejection notice pic.twitter.com/aPWptB9cUP
— The Sports Daily (@SportsDailyBlog) December 19, 2015
The other thing I noticed while watching Porzingis live for the first time was his length. Dude is lanky.
Kristaps Porzingis looks like a normal person who was left out on a torture rack too long and is now permanently stretched out.
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) December 18, 2015
.@matt_mullin pic.twitter.com/HIOtt4F5Sw
— Couch Correspondent (@notkerouac) December 18, 2015
• Noel doesn't seem to be suffering from any lingering effects of the corneal abrasion that caused him to miss the last two games. He finished with eight points and five rebounds in 27 minutes ... and this ridiculous block on Porzingis.
Noel swats Lopez https://t.co/2zL10CD0CB
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) December 19, 2015
• Nik Stauskas and T.J. McConnell saw their minutes severely limited against the Knicks. It appears as if Stauskas is completely out of coach Brett Brown's rotation, as he played just four minutes in the first half Friday night and wasn't re-inserted until late in the fourth quarter with the Sixers down 20 points. He finished with just seven total minutes and failed to get on the scoreboard.
McConnell played just four first-half minutes as well but saw some more time in the fourth quarter. When it was all said and done, the rookie point guard finished with just five points, five rebounds and five assists in 14 minutes. You can thank Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten for that one.
• Speaking of McConnell, he and Hollis Thomspon combined for one of the strangest buzzer beaters you'll ever see. And if you ask me, it seems like a strategy that could actually work -- assuming you catch your opponent off guard.
• The Sixers finished 17-of-30 (56.7 percent) from the free throw line. They were 4-of-12 in the first half. Unacceptable.
• The Noel-Okafor combo worked out just fine for the Sixers on Friday night. In the roughly 18 minutes they spent together on the court, the Sixers (as a team) were outscored by just two points. Over the other 30 minutes of the game -- when they were not on the floor together -- the Sixers were minus-8. That number would have been a lot higher had it not been for the garbage-time run they went on to cut the final deficit to 10 points.
• Arron Afflalo led the Knicks with 22 points and was the high scorer for the game.
• Tony Wroten finished with seven of the Sixers' 15 turnovers. That's not what you want out of your point guard.
The Sixers now head to Cleveland, where they’ll take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Sunday. They’ll then return home to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday before heading back on the road for their traditional holiday road trip — Disney on Ice takes over the Wells Fargo Center every late December. They’ll play six-straight away from home and won’t be back until Jan. 4, 2016.
