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Paul George's big scoring night, Sixers' shooting woes highlight loss to Knicks

by Keith Pompey
Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer
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Paul George's best performance of the season, the Sixers' poor-shooting blues, and Kelly Oubre Jr.'s potential to be a defensive force — if he stays out of foul trouble — stood out during Tuesday's 111-99 setback to New York Knicks in their NBA Cup matchup at the Wells Fargo Center.

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

George‘s performance

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

George started the game on fire, scoring on the first possession, with an assist from Joel Embiid. He scored 29 points while making 7-of-11 three-pointers. Seventeen of his points came in the first half, and he tallied 10 rebounds as well.

Prior to Tuesday, George’s best scoring performance was his return to Los Angeles last Wednesday. The nine-time All-Star scored 18 points while shooting 7-for-9 against the Clippers, but also had four turnovers in that contest. On this night, George did a better job of handling the ball and looked more fluid on both ends.

Ryan Sun / AP

Shooting woes continue

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

The Sixers (2-8) came into Tuesday's game ranked 27th in the league in shooting percentage (.435). And they failed to improve that by making just 37.3% of their shots against the Knicks (5-5), including 14-of-42 on three-pointers.

Shooting has been a major Achilles’ heel for the Sixers this season. This is something the Sixers must improve upon if they expect to turn their season around.

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Oubre provides energy

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Once Tyrese Maxey returns from injury, Oubre will have to impact the game while doing the intangibles. That’s because Joel Embiid, George, and Maxey will provide most of the scoring. It looks like Oubre is getting a jumpstart on that role.

Oubre played with a lot of energy while being a defensive terror against the Knicks, leading to his season-high two blocks. He also had six rebounds in addition to his five points. Moving forward, he’ll need to remain out of foul trouble. He only played 28 minutes, 38 seconds due to picking up his fourth foul in the third.

Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer