PHILADELPHIA — It has been 24 minutes of ugly offensive basketball for the 76ers, two fourth quarters in which they managed a grand total of 30 points.
Twelve points in the final quarter of Game 2, 18 in the final quarter of Game 3.
Both were winnable games that were lost because of Philadelphia’s offensive ineptitude, and now it will have to make NBA playoff history as the first team to rally from 3-0 down to advance.
At least, that’s how the 76ers see it. It wasn’t the Knicks defense that did them in. It was their own doing.
“We’re not making shots, we’re getting a lot of looks,” rookie VJ Edgecombe said Saturday. “We just watched the film. We’re generating a lot of good looks. Nothing is going in for us.”
In Game 2, the 76ers shot 4-for-19 from the field over the final 12 minutes. In Game 3, it was 7-for-20. Both contests were well within reach before Philadelphia went ice-cold.
In Friday’s loss, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse pointed to a pivotal moment.
Trailing by 4 late in the third quarter, the 76ers got three consecutive stops but couldn’t take advantage. Joel Embiid and Edgecombe missed open looks from 3-point range.
“There’s certainly an element of that for sure that has got us in the last two games,” Nurse said. “I don’t expect to make them all. But you make one of those, it’s a one-point game. Make two of them, you’re up two. I don’t know what else you can do other than create wide-open shots. Certainly, in Game 2, down the stretch there, all we did was have really good offensive creation. We just didn’t make enough. I can’t fault the guys’ effort and trying to do the right thing. We just need them to go in.”
Perhaps most concerning is the right players have taken the shots. Paul George is 0-for-8 in those quarters, and Tyrese Maxey is 4-for-11. Embiid didn’t play in Game 2 and was only 1-for-3 in Friday’s fourth quarter.
One potential issue is the Knicks are wearing down the 76ers. Philadelphia doesn’t have much depth to speak of, and the Knicks go deep into their bench.
Maxey, for instance, is averaging 40.4 minutes in the postseason, Edgecombe is at 37.7 and George is at 36.7.
“Obviously, fatigue is a factor. But fatigue’s a factor for every team this late in the season,” Edgecombe said. “If you want to win, that shouldn’t matter. We’ve just been missing wide-open shots.”