PHILADELPHIA — De’Anthony Melton, who has played just 11 games since late December, was ready to play in Game 3 of the 76ers’ first-round series with the New York Knicks Thursday night.
Melton has been dealing with a spine injury, re-entering the lineup four times only to go back on the shelf. He practiced Wednesday and said he was ready to contribute. He last played Games 80 and 81 of the regular season.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse was somewhat cautious about what the six-year veteran, who averaged 11.1 points per game in 38 outings this year, might provide.
“It’s been a long time, so I think it makes it a little difficult,” Nurse said. “But if he’s feeling good, he’s a guy who does a little bit of everything. Maybe it’s time to throw him in there.”
The expectation for improvement for the second unit is low. This isn’t exactly the return of Joel Embiid, but for a team that needs someone not named Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to score and has an unusually weak second unit, Melton’s return is more important than expected.
Nurse emphasized the second unit needs to improve, especially in second quarters. The 76ers were outscored 64-40 in the two games in New York in second quarters, including a decisive margin in Game 1. The Knicks shot 20 of their 51 free throws in those quarters.
“We need to play a little better on defense,” Nurse said before Game 3. “… Obviously we’re fouling way too much, and that has us playing against a set defense all in that quarter. That unit that starts the second quarter has to be more solid.”
The desired improvement needs to come from support scoring. Kelly Oubre Jr., who averaged 15.4 points per game this season, scored 14 total in two games. Tobias Harris, averaging 17.2, returned from New York with 17 points total.
It wasn’t all bad in New York. Oubre had 10 points and five steals in Game 2, the first 76er to do that in a decade. Both were responsible for keeping Jalen Brunson, a 47.9 percent shooter in the regular season, to 29.1 percent.
So there are things to build on. But that putting the ball in the net thing …
“He’s been really good defensively, really worked hard,” Nurse said of Oubre. “I think that he has focused really a lot on defense and has used a lot of his energy and a lot of his maybe mental mindset there. He’s a guy that’s usually not shy about finding a way to get a shot or six up.”
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Nurse has been in this predicament before. The 76ers somehow have less history with it.
In the 2019 playoffs, the Toronto Raptors lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals in Milwaukee, the second a 125-103 defeat. But they recovered at home, led by a double-OT win in Game 3, and rattled off four straight on the way to the NBA title.
It came up in conversation this week.
“I did briefly mention it – I’ve been here before, let’s go,” he said Wednesday after shootaround. “We’ve played probably well enough to win both games to be honest, but we didn’t. It’s a long series. I’ve been here before, it’s doable. We’ve just got to dial in on one now.”
The 76ers have lost all 19 series where they were behind 0-2. They haven't forced a series to seven games from a 0-2 deficit since 1978-79. Last time they were down 0-2 was against Miami in 2022. They responded with two home wins before losing in six.
Maxey, one of four returning players, commented, "I believe that series was very different from this one. We need to focus on one game and one possession at a time. There's no shot worth six or eight points. We have to grind through many possessions in the game of basketball. It's going to be difficult and challenging, but that's what we can expect at this stage of the season, and I believe we can handle it."
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Mitchell Robinson of the Knicks was listed on the injury report for ankle/injury management but was able to play. After being outrebounded 55-33 in Game 1, the 76ers improved to a close 46-44 in Game 2. It was even at 43-all until the crucial final minute, with a vital second-chance points from Donte DiVincenzo's 3-pointer. Nurse stated, "I believe we still need to improve. We did a much better job on all the things I mentioned – boxing out, involving more players, going higher. We were able to jump higher for defensive rebounds than in Game 1. But it's a 48-minute task and a challenge. They are very skilled at it." The 76ers have a 26-7 record this season when they match or exceed their opponent's rebound count. Josh Hart had a 31.0 percent 3-point shooting rate this season. So, going 8-for-15 in the first two playoff games was not what the Sixers expected from the Villanova graduate. Nurse made adjustments accordingly. Hart failed to make a field goal in the second half of Game 2. Nurse explained, "At halftime of Game 2, he made eight of his last nine shots. It was time for a change. So, we made a slight adjustment."
