Top Three Mistakes Made by the Sixers During Their Preseason Loss to the Knicks
Welcome back to the NBA for the 2025-26 season. Starting with a back-to-back matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi. With Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Jared McCain not available, it fell on Tyrese Maxey to lead the Sixers’ squad against the Knicks as their number one option. Unfortunately, the game looked rough during the second and third quarters, as the Knicks won the first matchup 99-84. Below are my top three takeaways that contributed to their loss.
Firstly, the Sixers went through a three-point fallout. They went three for 35 from beyond the arc, practically firing close to a nine percent clip. That marks the lowest percentage when attempting at least 30 shots from deep, since the 2015-16 season. They averaged close to 28% from deep over seven games. Granted, for the 2025-26 season, it’s only the first game. However, hitting only three out of 35 attempts isn’t a good sign for fans hoping for a bounce-back season this year.
Secondly, the turnovers were a major issue for the team. They were unable to hold onto the ball as they turned it over 20 times, whereas Maxey led both teams with five turnovers. That’s not a good look for two reasons: Maxey is the leading ball handler for the team, and last season, they were top 10 in turnovers per game. They averaged close to 14 turnovers per game, only two more than OKC, which led the league in that category.
Finally, Justin Edwards dropped a huge goose egg. He played 16 minutes and couldn’t buy a bucket the entire time. He did not make a shot from the field in eight attempts. That’s nothing like Edwards we’ve seen from his rookie campaign, who has barely been shut out like this before. Let’s take March 12th, 2025, as an example. During that game against the Raptors, Edwards scored only four points. He went two for eight from the field and could not land a shot from deep. The difference between the two games is that Edwards still had something on the board with those four points. Now, this could be attributed to first-game jitters for the sophomore, but certainly not something we should expect from him. We know what he can do since his dominant performance against Alabama during his time in Kentucky.
The next matchup against the Knicks is this Saturday, October 4th. The two franchises will stay in Abu Dhabi at the Etihad Arena. The start time is at 11 a.m. EST, and fans can watch the game on NBA TV. Now that the first game is wrapped up, the Sixers should be able to know what to expect from their division rivals. Make sure to tune in to that upcoming game, whether you’re a Sixers or Knicks fan.
