Scrappy guard De’Anthony Melton plans to return in Game 3 from a back injury to give the embattled Philadelphia 76ers a massive boost in their bid to overcome the New York Knicks‘ 2-0 series lead.
“Today, I went through practice,” Melton told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “So I’m feeling good. I’m ready for the game tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.”
Melton’s return gives Sixers coach Nick Nurse another defensive-minded guard to hound Knicks star Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo at the backcourt.
Before his injury that limited him to only 38 games this season, Melton was tied for fifth in deflections, averaging 3.1 per game, and tied for third in steals with 1.6 per game.
The 6-foot-3 Melton also averaged 11.1 points in the regular season, giving the Sixers another potential double-digit scorer.
Only three Sixers led by Most Improved Player of the Year winner Tyrese Maxey (34.0 points) are averaging in double figures in the series.
Reigning MVP Joel Embiid averaged 31.5 points despite playing on one good knee. Veteran guard Kyle Lowry is their third scoring threat, averaging 13.0 points per game.
“I think for me, the little things, rebounding, boxing out, getting deflections, getting steals,” Melton said of what he could bring in the series, per Philadelphia Inquirer. “I feel like in the playoffs, every possession matters. So limiting their possessions and holding them to one possession is important.
“And just offensively, I can space the floor. I’ve been shooting it a lot better recently, and also just playmaking-wise. Just getting downhill, getting to the basket or just playmaking wise for other guys to make plays, too.”
Last 2 Minute Report Vindicates Sixers
The NBA Last 2 Minute Report vindicated the Sixers, who were fuming mad after they lost a five-point lead inside the final 30 seconds of Game 2 due to a series of missed calls.
According to the Last 2 Minute report, there were four incorrect non-calls, three of them would have favored the Sixers and it also acknowledged that Nurse called for a timeout which referees did not see.
“I called a timeout, the referee looked right at me, ignored me,” Nurse told reporters. “It went into Tyrese, I called timeout again, and then the melee started. I guess I got to run out onto the floor and do something to get his attention. Needed a timeout there to advance it, would have been good, couldn’t get it.”
The NBA determined that Sixers star Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice during a wild sequence which led to Donte DiVincenzo’s game-winning 3-pointer for the Knicks.
Joel Embiid: ‘We’re the Better Team’
Embiid and the Sixers are still upbeat despite going down 0-2 in the series.
The Sixers have never won a playoff series when down 0-2. But the Last 2 Minute Report only reinforced their belief they should won the game.
“We should be (up) 2-0, so we’re good,” Embiid told reporters after Game 2. “We should be winning this series. We’re going to win this. We know what we’ve got to fix. We did a better job today, so we’re going to fix it. But we’re the better team and we’re going to keep fighting.”
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