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The desperate change 76ers must make if Joel Embiid remains out vs. Knicks
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- The desperate change 76ers must make if Joel Embiid remains out vs. Knicks
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The Philadelphia 76ers recently went down 0-2 in their second round playoff series against the New York Knicks with a tough Game 2 loss on Wednesday evening. The 76ers put up a valiant effort in this one without Joel Embiid , who was sidelined for this game due to injury, but ultimately, they will head back to Philadelphia in desperation territory.
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Without Embiid, the 76ers opted to start Andre Drummond on Wednesday, and the veteran was roasted all evening, not contributing much on offense and also finding himself abused by Karl-Anthony Towns on the defensive end of the floor.
Off the bench, Philadelphia got some solid minutes from reserve big man Dominick Barlow , who scored six points and made a big impact on the defensive end, and at this point, head coach Nick Nurse might want to consider making a change in the starting lineup, moving Barlow into a starting role and sending Drummond to the bench, if Embiid is going to miss more time.
Heading into Wednesday’s game, the 76ers had been getting eviscerated with Drummond on the floor, as outlined by a stat unearthed by Tommy Beer.
“In the 116 minutes Andre Drummond has been on the floor this postseason, the Sixers are allowing: 124.8 points per 100 possessions. That’s the worst individual DefRtg among all players still playing in the 2026 playoffs,” reported Beer on X, formerly Twitter.
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Barlow had somewhat of a breakout season for the 76ers this year, posting some big stat lines that caught fans’ attention throughout the league and showing off his intriguing combination of skills. Defensively, Barlow is serviceable around the basket and can also hold his own in switches, which is crucial against a Knicks team that loves to have Jalen Brunson hunt mismatches against big men.
Meanwhile, the Knicks saw OG Anunoby go down with an apparent leg injury in this one, and if that turns out to be something that causes the star to miss time, that could help at least partially level the playing field for the 76ers, if Embiid continues to miss time. For now, the big man is listed as day to day.
In any case, Game 3 of the 76ers vs Knicks series is slated to get underway on Friday evening as the series shifts to Philadelphia.
Related: Kendrick Perkins brings heat to 76ers star Joel Embiid as injuries threaten another title chance
Related: Paul George reveals what went wrong for 76ers in Game 2’s 4th quarter
