Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks looks to pass as Kelly Oubre Jr. #9, Cameron Payne #22, and Nico Batum #40 of the Philadelphia 76ers defend during the first half at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2024 in New York City.
Before a rematch at The Garden, here are some more moments that have peppered the Sixers’ clunky stretch since the All-Star break.Feb. 23 against the Cleveland Cavaliers was a scheduled rest day for Nico Batum, who was coming off a hamstring injury while the Sixers played the second night of a back-to-back. Yet the veteran forward was still in uniform and designated as active for one specific scenario — if his team needed a late inbound pass in a down-to-the-wire game.
Delivering that pass to start a possession might seem like a routine assignment. But Batum noted that he has five high-pressure seconds to read a swarming defense, then deliver an on-time strike to one of four options. Batum got the ball in to Maxey, forcing the Cavaliers to foul an 87.1% free-throw shooter. And then Batum immediately subbed back out.When reserve guard Cameron Payne joined the Sixers at the trade deadline, he could not keep his No. 15 because it is retired to honor Hal Greer.
Jackson, however, was a familiar face delivering all that new information. He was a player development coach during Hield’s time with the Sacramento Kings. Fellow current Sixers assistants Rico Hines and Bryan Gates were also on the Kings’ staff at that time. The former Sixers guard realistically knows those colleagues better than the Knicks, whom he just joined while playing for three teams during the past five weeks.and that on Sunday held the second spot in the Western Conference standings. He was then traded to the lowly Detroit Pistons at the February deadline and, after playing in four games, bought out of his contract. He joined the Knicks last week, but did not play against the Sixers Sunday.