Knicks' Paint Defense a Major Concern After 76ers Loss

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown identified a significant issue following the team's 98-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in their NBA Cup opener: the defense in the paint.

Brown expressed frustration with the Knicks allowing 26 points in the paint during the first half, a stark contrast to the 14 points they managed themselves. While the team improved its paint defense in the second half, limiting the 76ers to just 10 points in the final 24 minutes, the early struggles contributed to a deficit that proved insurmountable.

"They were getting in our paint left and right, right and left, and it was really, really easy doing it," Brown told reporters after the game. He noted that the ease with which the 76ers attacked the paint was particularly concerning, especially given Philadelphia's relatively low three-point shooting percentage in the first half.

Prior to this game, the Knicks had been a strong defensive unit in the paint, allowing only 39.3 points per game, the second-best mark in the NBA behind the Boston Celtics. However, the 76ers saw significant contributions from players like Tyrese Maxey, who scored eight points in the paint in the first half, and LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe, each adding six.

Instances cited included James driving for a layup early in the game and Maxey executing a pump fake to drive for a dunk in the second quarter. Brown attributed these breakdowns not to a single cause, but to a combination of smaller issues.

"It’s not just one thing," Brown explained. "It’s a little thing here, little thing there, little thing there, and that’s why it adds up. We’re competitive when we need to be, and that’s why all our games that we’re in, we have a chance down the stretch. But trying to make sure we continue to do the little things throughout the course of the game is gonna be huge for us because we’re not doing it right now."

Despite the absence of Mitchell Robinson, a key offensive rebounder who signed with the Celtics in the offseason, the Knicks had performed well in rebounding, ranking second in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage. In the loss to the 76ers, they secured 14 offensive rebounds compared to the 76ers' five.

The Knicks had a strong record of scoring 93 points or more, having only been held below that mark three times in the regular season since the start of the 2024-25 season. Their scoring struggles in this game were compounded by Mikal Bridges tying his season high with 12 points, but still averaging just 6.2 points per game to start the year.