Six Thoughts: Sixers Deal Knicks Second Home Loss of Season Behind Maxey, Edgecombe

Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points and dished nine assists in his return from an illness. VJ Edgecombe scored 23 points. The Sixers sent New York into the cold Friday night with the Knicks' second home loss of the season.

Here are six thoughts on the game.

Dominick Barlow boosts the Sixers' physicality

One of the factors that shaped my curiosity even before this game started was how Dominick Barlow's style of play would aid or abate the Sixers in this game. Barlow's value lies in the hustle work that the Knicks have carved into their identity during this era. His first nine-and-a-half minutes of the game entailed doing Knicks things for the Sixers.

Barlow had nine points and four rebounds in that time. He had an eye for the ball's angle as it hit the rim, rushing to retrieve long misses or time tip-backs on misses up close. You could sense his confidence picking up as he piled up the good things. Barlow is usually very quick to catch the ball on the perimeter and immediately load into a DHO for a nearby teammate who can assume control of the decisions to shoot and dribble. Instead, Barlow had one possession in which he rejected the DHO and took Brunson to the basket for a self-created score inside.

Those moments are just as important for the Sixers as they are for Barlow's individual growth. If Barlow is not even a threat to look a the basket off the bounce, defenses will know that the DHO is always for the shooting threat. He's then effectively leading the recipient of the handoff into a blitz, which spells danger. The threat that Barlow could turn the corner keeps the defense honest and makes the play more versatile.

That wasn't even the extent of Barlow's value in the first half. When Adem Bona picked up three quick fouls, Nick Nurse called on Barlow to play some minutes at center. That is a decision that is especially intriguing in this matchup because that puts Barlow in space against Karl-Anthony Towns, which is something you can live with. Good on Barlow for being the Swiss army knife. Philadelphia needed the boost from his physicality.

Hack-a-Robinson

Go figure that Mitchell Robinson matched his season total for made free throws in this game, alone. But fouling him intentionally is exactly what I would've done whenever he was on the court. Not only is he having an abysmal season at the foul line, but reducing the Knicks' offense to his free throws takes the ball out of Jalen Brunson's hands and takes an incredible offensive rebounder away from the rim. It didn't pay off in this game, but it was good low-hanging fruit that Nurse acted upon.

VJ Edgecombe loves The Garden

If there was ever a time for Philadelphia to pull out a rare third-quarter win, it was in Madison Square Garden on the first night of a back-to-back. Everyone can mostly thank Edgecombe.

His poise stood out most. Edgecombe began his third quarter with a contested corner three over Brunson to give the Sixers the lead. And as he settled into the quarter, Edgecombe transformed from bystander to aggressor. The catch-and-shoot threes made him a weapon to punish the ball pressure on Maxey. But when it came time to buy Maxey some rest, Edgecombe comfortably seized control of the offense. There was even a stretch in which Maxey exited, the keys going to Edgecombe. New York's defense adjusted accordingly.

Edgecombe was unintimidated. Even with size in his face to enhance the ball pressure, Edgecombe operated patiently. He found his shots, attacking gaps for scores at the rim or creating rhythm off the dribble for pull-ups in the mid-range. And when his downhill pressure forced the Knicks' big to rotate to the ball, Edgecombe had the awareness to know a teammate was open at the hoop and fed the score. He capped off a masterpiece — his first game in Madison Square Garden — with a put-back dunk on a Maxey miss.

Where was Paul George?

New York was on the second night of a back-to-back. Fatigue clearly set in down the stretch. But it's miraculous that the Sixers found a way to claw this one out with George shooting 2-for-10 in 33 minutes of action on a night when Embiid was out. George pulled down a bunch of rebounds, but he was a pedestrian for pretty much the whole game.

It did look like he was struggling to dig into the floor on offense against the physicality of OG Anunoby. George struggled to pressure his way to the rim. Everything was an off-balance jumper. Getting the ball to George was a chore because of how much Anunoby hugged him off the ball. He got tough jumpers or he got nothing at all, and there was a lot of the latter.

Stop jumping at everything

Adem Bona, keep your feet on the floor and your hands back. If the guy with the ball doesn't even have his shoulders squared to the basket, chances are he's not trying to shoot the ball.

No more splint for Jared McCain

This was one of McCain's most confident shooting games in a while. It was also the same game he's played without a splint on his shooting hand this season. Coincidence? Who's to say?

Aside from the nonsensical scoop layups that had no chance of going in, McCain played as if he was very sure of himself. There were a handful of pressurized possessions in the fourth quarter in which the ball swung his way and McCain had already decided he was going to get buckets.

It's especially important that he finds his footing because his marksmanship is all the more valuable when Maxey is on the floor. If one or two of the best defenders are approaching Maxey, that means a less qualified defender is lurking on McCain. Philadelphia has to be able to trust him to execute against those matchups.