PHILADELPHIA — Tom Thibodeau got some reinforcements and made an adjustment.
After playing with a tight rotation in close games, the coach opened it up from eight to nine players Tuesday with the addition of Matt Ryan.
Cam Payne also returned from a four-game absence because of a hamstring strain and scored three points in nine minutes.
Ryan was scoreless in nine minutes but Thibodeau indicated he’s moving forward with the 27-year-old wing, who was a late addition to the roster after signing last week.
“I almost [played him] last game,” Thibodeau said. “But he just got here and because we had six of seven on the road, there hasn’t been a lot of practice time. It’s going to take him a little bit of time for him to get up to speed. But he’s smart and he’ll pick it up quickly. It’s good to have that.”
If part of the goal of expanding the rotation was to preserve the starters’ energy in the fourth quarter, it appeared to work.
The Knicks started the final period Tuesday on an 11-0 run and beat the Sixers, 111-99.
It’s safe to say the second annual NBA Cup wasn’t a big talking point for the Knicks ahead of Tuesday’s tipoff.
Following the morning shootaround, Karl-Anthony Towns was unaware it was even a tournament date.
“Next game is the In-Season tournament?” Towns asked before quickly recovering. “I treat every game just like it’s the most important game of the year. So it’s not really about if it’s In-Season Tournament or not. You know, the approach is the same, go out there and try to get a win.”
Josh Hart, meanwhile, is a fan of most aspects of the NBA Cup.
With one exception.
“It’s fun. It gives these games a little bit of a different energy. For the crowd, players have a little bit of a different energy. There’s some extra money on the line. So it’s fun. It’s something that’s a really good idea,” Hart said. “The only thing I hate about it is the point-differential element.”
The Knicks benefitted by point differential last season by securing the sole wild-card spot after finishing second in their group.
They beat the Hornets by 24 points in the group play finale to advance, then lost in the quarterfinals to the Bucks.
“I think our last game against Charlotte you had some of your main guys in there when you’re up 25 with four minutes left. So that’s the only thing I hate about it,” Hart said. “But it’s fun. It brings a good energy to the start of the season.”
The Knicks’ group this season includes the Sixers, Nets (game on Nov. 15), Hornets (Nov. 29) and Magic (Dec. 3).
The Knicks were disadvantaged by the scheduling quirks of the first NBA Cup since they had to play the Celtics and Bucks five times each in the regular season.
The Sixers debuted their blue court for the NBA Cup and coach Nick Nurse viewed it as the lesser of two uglies compared to last season’s red version.
“I like the blue court a lot better,” Nurse said. “But that’s not saying much, in my opinion.”
