The 76ers were jinxed.

It was only recently when a certain writer wrote about how Philadelphia's basketball team wouldn't finish as the worst team in the NBA. While that still remains true, the 76ers ended up losing to the NBA's worst team. The game wasn't very close in the end, either. The Knicks defeated the 76ers in New York on Sunday night by a final score of 101 to 91.

Though the final score showed a ten point difference, the game was a back and forth affair for most of the night.


As 76ers broadcaster Marc Zumoff said, it was a tight-fisted affair. In reality, it was a battle of ineptitude.

The 76ers shot an abysmal 38.4% from the field. Only three players ended up with more points than shots. Hollis Thompson finished with a strong 17 points on 11 shots but Robert Coverington, with 14 points on 13 shots, and bench big man Henry Sims, with 12 points on 10 shots, came very close to not qualifying. Thompson was especially impressive with only one miss on six attempts from three-point range.

Meanwhile, the Knicks were somewhat surprisingly paced by former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani. The big man finished with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks in 34 and a half minutes played. Bargnani isn't exactly known to be the better rebounder or shot blocker so these totals are especially curious. The Italian born player has failed to live up to his high draft status during his career and a change of scenery from the Toronto Raptors to the Knicks hasn't really helped.

But on Sunday night the seven-footer may have had his best game with New York. One Knicks fan noted Bargnani had his best shift ever.

Part of the reasoning behind Bargnani's success was poor defense from Philadelphia. Rookie big man Nerlens Noel didn't look comfortable covering him out on the perimeter. Too often did Bargnani get open shots with a lot of cushion.

Speaking of Noel, it was an up and down performance for him. He flashed at times and finished one rebound shy of a double-double to go with his 14 points. Despite struggling a little defensively, Noel did manage to come up with one steal and two blocks. On the downside, three of his own attempts were blocked. This wouldn't be a terrible thing if he was going up against a top shot blocker but that wasn't the case. Players like Lou Amundson and Jason Smith were giving him fits at times. Not exactly a great look for the Rookie of the Year hopeful.

The 76ers dropped to 18-60 on the season. There are only a mere four games left before the 2014-2015 regular season ends.

Here are some more thoughts on the game.

• 76ers draft pick update: Philadelphia is still the third worst overall team. They will likely finish the year at that spot. It's very possible the 76ers lose out to finish the season. This loss to New York should prevent any chance of the fourth-worst Los Angeles Lakers catching the 76ers in the tanking standings.
  
• I know the 76ers are going through a rebuild and don't exactly have a ton of NBA caliber players but the lack of talent on the Knicks' roster just amazes me.
  
• Ish Smith (aptly nicknamed “Dish Smith” by Malik Rose) continues to be a great passer. At one point he threw a lob so high to Noel that it looked like the rookie couldn't get it. But the big man flushed it home. It was the perfect pass. These two continue to be a strong alley-oop combination.
  
• Furkan Aldemir has been getting more minutes lately and making the most of them. He attempted two three pointers (!) and predictably missed, but at least he's trying to get involved in the offense. One of the things that Aldemir is good at, besides rebounding, is apparently drawing fouls. He took at least three charges in the game.
  
• Out for the 76ers on Sunday evening were Isaiah Canaan (foot), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (shoulder), and Thomas Robinson (ankle). It seems weird to say but it feels like the team isn't the same without Mbah a Moute.
  
• Here's to ending on a positive note: Noel really seems to be getting comfortable with that combination spin move into a hook shot he uses in the post. The rookie has a long way to go when it comes to developing an offensive game but that's a good sign. I should also add that he is slowly developing that short jumper to make defenders pay if they sag off him too much.