PHILADELPHIA — Tom Thibodeau received reinforcements and made adjustments.
After playing a tight rotation in a close game, the coach added Matt Ryan on Tuesday to increase the number of players from eight to nine.
Cam Payne also returned from missing four games with a hamstring strain and scored three points in nine minutes.
Ryan was scoreless for nine minutes, but Thibodeau indicated he intends to move forward with the 27-year-old winger, who was a late addition to the roster after signing last week.
“I almost [played him] It’s the last game,” Thibodeau said. “But he just got here and six of the seven guys were on the road, so he didn't have a lot of practice time. It's going to take a little bit of time for him to get into shape. But he… He's smart and understands it quickly. It's good to have that.”
If part of the goal of expanding the rotation was to conserve the starters' energy in the fourth quarter, it appeared to be working.
The Knicks started the final period on an 11-0 run to defeat the Sixers 111-99 on Tuesday.
It's safe to say that the second NBA Cup wasn't a big topic for the Knicks ahead of Tuesday's tipoff.
After the morning shootout, Karl-Anthony Towns didn't even know it was tournament day.
“Is the next game an in-season tournament?” Towns asked before quickly recovering. “I treat every game like it's the most important game of the year. So it doesn't really matter if it's an in-season tournament or not. The approach is the same, go into the game and Try to win.”
Josh Hart, on the other hand, is a fan of most aspects of the NBA Cup.
With one exception.
“It's fun. It gives these games a little different energy. For the spectators, the players have a little different energy. There's extra money on the line. So it's fun. It's a really good idea. '' Hart said. “The only thing I don’t like is the point difference factor.”
The Knicks finished second in their group last season, earning the only wild-card spot and benefiting from goal difference.
They advanced by defeating the Hornets by 24 points in the final game of group play, but lost to the Bucks in the quarterfinals.
“I think in our last game against Charlotte, we had some key players out at 25 points with four minutes left, so that's the only thing I don't like,” Hart said. “But it's fun. It brings good energy to the start of the season.”
The Knicks' group this season includes the Sixers, Nets (game on Nov. 15), Hornets (game on Nov. 29) and Magic (game on Dec. 3).
The Knicks were at a disadvantage due to the peculiarities of the schedule in the first NBA Cup, as they had to play the Celtics and Bucks five times each in the regular season.
The Sixers debuted the blue coat in the NBA Cup, but coach Nick Nurse deemed it on the uglier side compared to last season's red version.
“I much prefer the Blue Coats,” Nurse said. “But in my opinion, that doesn't make much sense.”
