Knicks Look to Take Advantage of the 76ers Road Struggles

Thursday night was a tough one for the Knicks. They suffered a, let’s just say, a pretty bad loss to the now 17-24 Phoenix Suns. RJ Barrett, or as you may know him, Headband Ro, sprained his ankle. According to the Knicks PR Twitter account, the X-rays came back negative and he will be re-evaluated next week.

Obviously, there is never a good time for a player to get injured, but Barrett seemed to be heating up heading into Thursday. Before the matchup vs the Suns, he had back to back 20+ point performances.

Reggie Bullock will start tonight in place for the injured rookie according to Mike Miller. “A lot of the things that he’s doing defensively, his awareness, off-ball awareness, and how he defends the screens, particularly against the scoring guards that he’s playing against. He really has a good feel for being in the right spot and getting through these screens without getting hit,” Coach Miller said he’s been seeing from Bullock on the floor.

The Knicks will look to take advantage of the 76ers playing on the road. Philadelphia has struggled this season on the road with a 7-14 record when playing as the away team. Tonight’s matchup will also be a back to back for the 76ers, the beat the Bulls last night at the Wells Fargo Center. What does 76ers coach Brett Brown believe the team needs to execute on when playing away from their home? “For me, there’s a discipline that we have to show to a knowledge base of how we’re guarding. It’s not like hey go play hard. It’s not that at all for me. It’s like tonight what are you going to do with some of New York’s personnel, can you be more disciplined to the game plan.” Brett Brown continued by saying “You’re not doing anything that matters if you can’t win on the road.”

After two competitive matchups with Philly so far this season, the Knicks look to get the win and bounce back from a forgettable Thursday night.