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  • Downingtown’s Drew Shelton prepares for draft in Texas, joining an academy of sorts for NFL offensive linemen

    Downingtown’s Drew Shelton prepares for draft in Texas, joining an academy of sorts for NFL offensive linemen

    FRISCO, Texas — Pennsylvania has been Drew Shelton’s home for the majority of his life. The Downingtown native, who starred at Downingtown West and was Penn State’s starting left tackle the last two seasons, is adjusting to life down South.

    Shelton, 22, recently relocated to the Dallas area as he prepares for the next phase of his life with the impending NFL Scouting Combine next month and April’s NFL draft looming.

    “It’s been a big transition down here,” Shelton told The Inquirer in a Frisco hotel lobby. “I haven’t lived away from home in a really long time, been in Pennsylvania pretty much all my life. I’m being down here and learning how to be on my own.”

    Downingtown West’s Drew Shelton has seamlessly filled the left tackle spot for Penn State

    It has been quite the journey for Shelton, who was a tight end in high school until he made a position switch to offensive tackle, helping further his playing career. Shelton sat behind 2024 first-round pick Olu Fashanu, although he briefly filled in for an injured Fashanu for five games in 2022 as a freshman.

    The 6-foot-5, 296-pound Shelton started all 16 games for Penn State’s College Football Playoff appearance in the 2024 season and started all 12 regular-season games in 2025 for the Nittany Lions, whose season didn’t go as expected. But Shelton still thinks of his college experience fondly.

    “Coming from Downingtown and growing into the offensive lineman that I needed to be at Penn State, and continuing to grow to be the offensive tackle I need to be in the NFL, it’s been fun. It’s been a challenge,” Shelton said. “You’re never going to be the player that you want to be overnight. It’s just you’ve got to consistently put in the work. And that’s really hard to tell an 18-year-old kid that you’re not going to be the starting left tackle at Penn State on Day 1. I guess it’s hard to come to terms with, but once you really understand and have the patience, that’s a big part of who you are and what you’re going to be.”

    Drew Shelton will be joined by Penn State teammates Olaivavega Ioane and Nolan Rucci at the OL Masterminds workouts in Texas.

    The next phase of Shelton’s life is in Texas because it’s where he is training for the combine, his pro day, and workouts with NFL teams. Shelton is working with Duke Manyweather, the cofounder of OL Masterminds, alongside Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson. Manyweather trains current and soon-to-be NFL offensive linemen at Sports Academy in Frisco.

    And he won’t be alone. Former teammates Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State’s left guard, and Nolan Rucci, the Nittany Lions’ right tackle, are among the 15 draft-eligible offensive linemen working with the offensive line guru.

    Manyweather’s “got some of the top offensive linemen in the league and in the draft,” said Shelton, who had meetings with NFL scouts and executives while they were in town for the East-West Shrine Bowl. “He puts a lot of work into us, builds us up, breaks us all the way down to stance to the fundamentals and all that kind of stuff, and builds us right back up.”

    Penn State’s Drew Shelton blocked for Will Howard at Downingtown West.

    Shelton, who accepted his invite for the Senior Bowl in December, will not participate in the All-Star game to focus on his training and pre-draft process. Throughout his journey, Shelton has remained connected to former teammate Will Howard, whom he played with at Downingtown West and has been one of his closest friends for a long time.

    Howard led Ohio State to a national championship and was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shelton is hoping to follow in his footsteps, becoming the second Downingtown West alum to reach the NFL in as many years.

    “Seeing someone that you know, and someone that you’ve played with … reach his goals, and obviously continuing to strive to for the next set of goals, that’s been cool,” Shelton said. “And for me personally, like, that’s a dream come true. Every kid dreams of being a professional athlete, and just to be have that be a reality here soon is pretty cool.”

  • Sixers need to hang on to Kelly Oubre Jr. — at least through the end of the season

    Sixers need to hang on to Kelly Oubre Jr. — at least through the end of the season

    People are asking: How long will Kelly Oubre Jr. remain in a 76ers uniform?

    If the Sixers are wise, the answer is at least through the end of the season.

    The 30-year-old swingman’s contract expires at the end of June. However, his name has been repeatedly mentioned in recent trade reports. And that could continue ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline as teams look to upgrade rosters and slash salaries.

    But at this point, the Sixers will be hard-pressed to find someone able to do what Oubre provides.

    The squad is starting to show glimpses of why it has received Eastern Conference championship-contender hype. And Oubre’s ability to adjust to his ever-changing role is a reason for that.

    The Sixers are still struggling with inconsistency at the NBA’s halfway mark. How will they address it?

    The Sixers dropped to 24-20 after Saturday afternoon’s 112-109 loss to the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Before that tilt, they defeated the Houston Rockets, 128-122, in overtime Thursday night at home. Oubre played a significant role in the victory, finishing with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting along with four rebounds, three assists, and one block while starting alongside Paul George, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey.

    It was the first time the Sixers employed that starting lineup.

    Coach Nick Nurse said before Sunday’s game that they would stay with it for a while. And had another solid performance, finishing with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, along with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

    His remaining as a starter is understandable, given that it was a lineup they were expected to unveil at the beginning of the season. But George missed the first 12 games with left knee injury management. Then Oubre was sidelined 22 games from Nov. 17 to Jan. 5. While those two were injured, power forward Dominick Barlow proved to be a solid fifth starter.

    But Oubre is a more experienced, more versatile player, and has been noted several times before as the team’s X factor. His ability to play shooting guard, small forward, and small-ball power forward gives the Sixers a variety of rotation options.

    Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. has been noted several times before as the team’s X factor.

    While he starts at small forward, Oubre moves to shooting guard in a lineup that features George, Barlow, Embiid, and Maxey when Edgecombe is out of the game. And in his first game back from a sprained left knee ligament on Jan. 7, he played power forward in a small-ball lineup with Maxey, Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, and Adem Bona.

    “He plays both ends, right?” Nurse said of his impact as a versatile player. “I think that’s the main thing. He’s been pretty effective on both ends, and the other probably main thing is he’s in about his 10th year. He’s got a lot of stuff under his belt. A lot of minutes. A lot of games, too. That helps, too. ”

    All-Star cornerstones, Embiid, Maxey, and George, along with rookie-of-the-year candidate Edgecombe, have deservedly received a lot of credit for the team’s being viewed as a contender.

    Embiid had scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games. While the 7-2 center is not where he once was defensively, he’s showing glimpses of being a 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star. Embiid is averaging 33.3 points, 10 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 58.3% on three-pointers in those games.

    Meanwhile, Maxey, who was named an All-Star starter on Monday, is averaging a league-third-best 29.9 points, a second-best 2.1 steals, and 12th-best 6.8 rebounds this season. He was also fourth (147) in made three-pointers.

    Sixers mailbag: Will Joel Embiid make the All-Star Game? Will Jared McCain be here after the trade deadline?

    George’s average of 15.4 points is below his career average of 20.5 points. But the nine-time All-Star has thrived at times as a facilitator and an elite defender. And it’s not uncommon for him to provide the bulk of the scoring during third-quarter stretches.

    Edgecombe is averaging 15.6 points, a league 11th-best 1.5 steals, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. The 20-year-old shooting guard’s elite potential was on full display in the Sixers’ season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics.

    That night, he scored 34 points to help lead the Sixers to victory. It was the third-highest scoring debut in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s 43 points on Oct. 24, 1959, and Frank Selvy’s 35 on Nov. 30, 1954.

    Concurrently, Oubre averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and shot 38.3% on three-pointers while continuously adjusting his role depending on who was playing or who the Sixers were playing against. The one constant thing is his defending the opposing team’s best perimeter player.

    Championship-caliber teams are built with players like Kelly Oubre Jr.

    Nurse was asked before Saturday’s game where he thinks Oubre has improved the most as a defender.

    “Listen, I think there are a couple of things, but probably at the top would be just his overall reading of situations,” Nurse said. “Just having a feel for anticipating what might happen next and getting involved in that and breaking that up. But he’s also been much better on the ball. He’s been much better in screen-and-roll. Stuff like that.”

    The New Orleans native has starred in all of his roles in addition to doing countless other things that go unnoticed on a stat sheet.

    As good as Embiid, George, Maxey, and Edgecombe are, championship-caliber teams are built with players like Oubre.

    The only benefit of trading him at this time is perhaps shedding his salary. Oubre’s expiring $8.3 million contract would help them gain salary cap relief and avoid the luxury tax. The squad is currently more than $7 million over the luxury-tax threshold. That’s why his name has been mentioned in reports.

    Don’t look now but the Sixers have turned a dire situation into a hopeful one behind their new Big Four

    But, night now, they can’t afford to let him go if contending for a title this season is truly the goal.

    The number of realistic available better options is slim. Even if they find a player as good, it will take the new person a while to adjust to the Sixers’ system. And Oubre’s ability to adapt is a primary reason why the team is starting to live up to expectations.

    With Embiid’s extension kicking in next season and Grimes becoming an unrestricted free agent, it may make sense for Oubre and the Sixers to part ways after the season.

    The way he’s been playing this season and elevated his stock during his Sixers’ three-year tenure, Oubre could become too costly to re-sign.

    It may make sense for the sides to part ways after the season.

    You can’t trade that away at this time.

  • Sixers appeared to be on unlucky side of crunch-time officiating — again

    Sixers appeared to be on unlucky side of crunch-time officiating — again

    Nick Nurse assumed Tyrese Maxey felt contact from the New York Knicks’ Landry Shamet and tried to draw a whistle in the shooting motion.

    But Maxey would not bite when asked if he believed he was intentionally fouled when he hoisted an off-balance three-pointer with the 76ers trailing by three points and 5.8 seconds remaining Saturday.

    “Nope,” the Sixers’ All-Star guard said. “I should have just taken one more dribble and shot it regular.”

    For the second game in a row, it appeared the Sixers were on the unlucky side of crunch-time officiating. That Maxey moment — plus three others — helped create a finish that was both frenetic and interrupted by multiple stoppages in play for review.

    Gift Share Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid dominates, third-quarter woes return, and more in loss to Knicks

    Although the Sixers overcame a missed goaltending call in Thursday’s overtime victory over the Houston Rockets, Saturday’s calls (or no-calls) remained under the microscope in the aftermath of the Sixers’ wild 112-109 loss to the rival Knicks in a nationally televised game at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Sixers coach Nick Nurse says he believed there could have been a foul call on the errant three-point shot attempt from Tyrese Maxey in the waning seconds of the game.

    “I think he was [fouled],” Nurse said when asked about the Maxey play. “No big deal. … Usually when [the opponent is] up three and you need three, teams are going to foul. But they didn’t [call it].”

    Joel Embiid, meanwhile, was not afraid to speak his mind at his locker following the game. He believed he also had been intentionally fouled upon collecting the rebound after Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson missed two free throws with five seconds to play, keeping the Sixers’ deficit at three points. Embiid threw his arms up in disbelief when Brunson knocked the ball free, and New York’s OG Anunoby collected it as the final six-tenths of a second ticked off.

    “I got fouled, for sure,” Embiid said. “Thought Tyrese got fouled, too. Two games in a row, but it’s whatever.”

    When asked about both potential intentional fouls, crew chief Tony Brothers told pool reporter Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia that “During the game, we did not observe any illegal contact on the play.”

    Do the Knicks now know what to do to beat the Sixers going forward this season? It’s a fair question.

    Those were not the only instances when the officiating became a storyline. With the Sixers trailing, 110-107, and 33.3 seconds remaining, Brunson was initially called for an off-ball foul for making contact with Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe ahead of an inbounds pass. Edgecombe flexed and screamed in celebration, but a coach’s challenge by the Knicks’ Mike Brown overturned the call to a foul on the Sixers rookie — a result Brunson acknowledged was “very satisfying.”

    Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe (left) thought he received a foul call which was later determined to be Knicks ball in the fourth quarter.

    “They [said] you can’t play defense with your hands on nobody,” Edgecombe said of the explanation he received following the video review. “I guess I’ve got to play defense with my ‘eagles’ out and stand like this [with arms spread] the whole time. … I can’t touch nobody.”

    Then, with 9.9 seconds to play, Sixers veteran forward Paul George was called for a foul at the rim that was overturned by a coach’s challenge by Nurse. Had the no-call on George been correct within the flow of the game, however, the Sixers could have immediately initiated their offense against a Knicks defense that was not set. There was also apparent contact from Embiid on Shamet away from the play, although Brothers said officials “did not observe any proximate foul during replay review.”

    Those officiating moments arrived after a chaotic basketball sequence when the Sixers scored five points in less than five seconds to make it a one-possession game. Maxey hit a pull-up three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining before Edgecombe got tied up with Brunson to force a jump ball. Brunson then fouled Edgecombe, who hit both free throws to make the score 110-107 ahead of those players’ collision before the ensuing inbound pass.

    Tyrese Maxey was the subject of a pair of questionable calls by officials in back-to-back games last week.

    And those whistles — or, non-whistles — came less than two days after a different officiating crew missed a goaltending call on a Maxey layup attempt off the backboard against Houston, which would have given the Sixers a lead in the final seconds of regulation.

    After the game, crew chief John Goble said, “By rule, a goaltending would have to be called on the floor in order for that play to be reviewed. In real time, the officiating crew felt it was a good blocked shot.”

    “It happens, man,” Maxey said after that game. “We’re all human.”

    It surely was much easier for Maxey to be forgiving when the Sixers still pulled off the overtime victory. Yet after Saturday’s defeat, Maxey’s team could not solely blame the officiating.

    They stumbled through another third quarter, when a stagnant offense allowed the Knicks to build a 17-point lead. The Sixers were outrebounded, 53-38, leading to a 26-4 Knicks edge in second-chance points in a direct callback to the 2024 first-round playoff series between these two teams. And down the stretch, the Sixers allowed Shamet and Anunoby to get free for clutch three-pointers to quell their rally attempt.

    Still, the NBA’s Last Two Minute report from Thursday’s game revealed that the officials were incorrect in not calling goaltending on that driving Maxey attempt against the Rockets.

    Saturday’s report might be even more of a doozy.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Sixers basketball right here!
  • Source: Former Sixers second-round pick Charles Bassey to rejoin team on a 10-day contract

    Source: Former Sixers second-round pick Charles Bassey to rejoin team on a 10-day contract

    The 76ers are signing Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract, according to multiple sources.

    The Sixers originally selected the 6-foot-11 center with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky. He played one season with the organization before signing with the San Antonio Spurs.

    The 25-year-old was preparing to play for the Golden State Warriors’ NBA G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, when the deal to return to the Sixers was agreed upon. But after agreeing to the deal, Bassey was scratched from the game.

    The Sixers are trying to figure out a way to fly him to Charlotte to join the team in time for Monday’s game against the Hornets, according to sources.

    That may be a problem due to the weather.

    What’s next for Charles Bassey? Charting the recently released Sixers center’s NBA journey and tenuous future

    But Bassey is scheduled to sign his contract on Monday, even if he has to do it via an electronic signature.

    Dominick and Jabari Walker, who are on two-way contracts, won’t be able to play against the Hornets on Monday unless Bassey signs his contract. That’s because the Sixers ran out of available games for players on two-way deals, since they have fewer than 15 players signed to standard NBA contracts. Bassey’s signing will bring the number up to 15.

    San Antonio Spurs’ Charles Bassey (28) tangles with Memphis Grizzlies’ Luke Kennard (10) and Santi Aldama, second from front right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

    In his previous Sixers’ stint, Bassey appeared in 23 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points on 63.6% shooting along with 2.7 rebounds, 0.7 block, and 7.3 minutes.

    He played beyond those numbers when called upon in clutch situations. Teammates and coaches were impressed by his attention to detail, high basketball IQ and ability to protect the rim. However, he became expendable when the Sixers added reserve center Montrezl Harrell to the roster in September 2022.

    Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid dominates, third-quarter woes return, and more in loss to Knicks

    As a result, the Nigerian player was waived on Oct. 13, 2022. Eleven days later, he signed a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs, which was converted to a standard contract on Feb. 14, 2023.

    He averaged 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds during his three-season stint with the Spurs. Bassey had an Exhibit 10 deal with the Atlanta Hawks last season and signed a two-day deal with the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 27.

    Bassey has averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in a combined 115 NBA games with the Sixers, Spurs, and Grizzlies.

    He is averaging 18.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks with Santa Cruz.

  • Do the Knicks now know what to do to beat the Sixers going forward this season? It’s a fair question.

    Do the Knicks now know what to do to beat the Sixers going forward this season? It’s a fair question.

    After ripping off two wins to start the year over the New York Knicks, the Sixers lost their first game against them on Saturday, 112-109.

    Despite the close score, the Sixers ultimately let the game slip away in the third quarter, going from up four at halftime to down 13 by the end of the quarter. It was the Sixers’ lowest scoring quarter since a 12-point fourth quarter against the Bulls on Jan. 2, 2024.

    “I thought our physicality defensively was there,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “We started getting it up into the basketball and made it a little bit harder for them to try to make plays and/or move freely.”

    Key to that defensive transformation in the third was backup center Mitchell Robinson, whom Brown anointed as the defensive player of the game. With Karl-Anthony Towns already in foul trouble, Robinson entered the game early in the third and immediately started making an impact.

    Robinson was +14 in his 27 minutes, grabbing six offensive rebounds. The Knicks secured 19 offensive rebounds compared to just six for the Sixers, and turned them into 26 points.

    He played a key role in keeping Joel Embiid, who’d dominated the first half with 28 points, off the scoresheet in the third.

    Mitchell Robinson (left) proved to be a thorn in Joel Embiid and the Sixers’ side for most of the game on Saturday.

    “I know he got it going early on, and you know he’s an All-Star player,” Robinson said postgame. “What you do with a guy like that is, he‘s going to come out there and fight, you make some adjustments in the [offensive] zone, show your hands. He draws a lot of fouls, so you know you have to be careful.”

    Sixers forward Dominick Barlow (right) defends Knicks forward Guerschon Yabusele on Saturday.

    Brown also praised guard OG Anunoby’s defense on Embiid down the stretch. Embiid scored just 10 points in the second half, going 3-for-9 from the field.

    Anunoby said the key to grappling with Embiid was his lower-body strength, to maintain leverage going for the ball.

    “Try to steal the ball, we always try to steal the ball,” Anunoby said. “We try to make it as difficult as possible. He’s a great player, so just trying to make him as uncomfortable as possible.”

    “Just fight him, and then if he turns and someone flashes to the middle, know that they’re trying to go over the top,” Anunoby continued. “Just communication on the backside.”

    These two teams met one another in a first-round playoff series just two years ago, and with both teams back in the top 8 of the Eastern Conference standings, they could be on track to meet one another again in the playoffs later this year.

    Knicks forward OG Anunoby passes the basketball from the floor past Sixers forward Dominick Barlow (right) and guard VJ Edgecombe during the second quarter on Saturday.

    So far, the season series is 2-1 in Philadelphia’s favor. But Saturday’s matchup was the first this year with both teams mostly healthy. Embiid and Deuce McBride missed the first matchup, and Josh Hart missed the second.

    Despite their successful halftime adjustments, the Knicks know that both teams will need to execute better down the stretch to win a playoff series.

    “I mean, we played well, but our execution last couple minutes, I don’t know if we deserved to win the game,” Hart said. “I don’t know if they deserved to win the game either. We could have just tied, honestly, at that point, all the miscues that we did.”

    Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid dominates, third-quarter woes return, and more in loss to Knicks
  • NBA postpones Timberwolves-Warriors game in Minneapolis; Charles Barkley calls event ‘sad’ on national broadcast

    NBA postpones Timberwolves-Warriors game in Minneapolis; Charles Barkley calls event ‘sad’ on national broadcast

    MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was postponed on Saturday afternoon following another fatal shooting by a federal officer in Minneapolis.

    The game was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Timberwolves and Warriors are also scheduled to play on Monday night.

    The league announced the decision was made to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed in a confrontation with officers on a street in a commercial district less than two miles from Target Center, the downtown arena where the Timberwolves play.

    On Saturday, Sixers legend Charles Barkley, on the panel for ESPN’s telecast of Saturday’s Sixers-Knicks thriller commented on the situation, saying: “It’s gonna end bad, it’s already ended badly twice,” in reference to Pretti and the killing of Renee Good on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis at the hands of officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    With the crowd of protesters growing around the shooting site on Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police to try to keep the peace.

    The Minnesota Twins were holding their annual winter fan festival at Target Field, across the street from Target Center, and ended the event an hour early for the “expedited departure” of all guests.

    Thousands of people marched through downtown on Friday with the air temperature well below zero in protest of the presence and tactics of the federal force that swelled to about 3,000 officers in the Twin Cities area this month as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    Two weeks ago, 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot in her car as she drove away from a group of officers following a confrontation. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Good before their game the following night.

  • Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid dominates, third-quarter woes return, and more in loss to Knicks

    Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid dominates, third-quarter woes return, and more in loss to Knicks

    Joel Embiid is back to playing at an All-NBA level.

    Yet, the 76ers are still dealing with third-quarter blues.

    And they made a decision that will affect Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, who were in jeopardy of playing their games as two-way players.endnu

    These things stood out in Saturday’s 112-109 loss to the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Back to dominating

    Embiid, a three-time All-Defensive performer, still doesn’t protect the rim the way the 7-foot-2 center did before undergoing two left-knee surgeries in a 14-month span. (First surgery was for a torn meniscus in February 2024. Then he had arthroscopic surgery on the knee in April.)

    But you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone with a better offensive stretch than the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player.

    Embiid finished with 38 points on 13-for-21 shooting – including making 3 of 5 three-pointers – along with 11 rebounds and five assists in his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points.

    On Saturday, 28 of his points came in the first half on 10-for-12 shooting. Embiid acknowledged it was the best groove he felt offensively this season.

    “I felt pretty good, just attacking, doing whatever I wanted,” he said.

    The seven-time All-Star has averaged 31.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 57.1 % on three-pointers in his previous three games.

    Embiid was asked if there was a carryover from his logging 45 minutes, 36 seconds while finishing with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in Thursday’s 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.

    “I feel great,” Embiid said. “Nah, I was tired. Early game, too. Yeah, I was tired. But … just got to keep pushing.”

    More third-quarter blues

    After Embiid dominated the first half, the Sixers took a 64-60 lead into intermission.

    But the Knicks went on a 24-5 run early in the third quarter to build an 86-72 cushion. That was partly due to the Sixers missing 10 of their first 12 shots of the quarter.

    He would shoot 4-for-17 (23.5%) and commit five costly turnovers in the quarter, as the Knicks took a 90-77 lead into the fourth. Embiid was held scoreless in the quarter while shooting 0-for-3.

    The Knicks would extend their lead to 17 points early in the fourth quarter.

    Tyrese Maxey (right) challenges for a loose ball against Knicks guard Mikal Bridges in Saturday’s loss.

    Mounting a comeback, the Sixers pulled within two points on VJ Edgecombe’s three-pointer with 1 minute, 34 seconds remaining.

    The Knicks stepped up their intensity after intermission. They also benefited from their dominance of the boards. For the game, New York outrebounded the Sixers, 53 to 38, and had a 26 to 4 advantage in second-chance points. Knicks 6-5 forward and former Villanova standout Josh Hart finished with a game-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 points.

    Reserve center Andre Drummond didn’t play despite being one of the league’s best rebounders. He’s averaging a team-leading 9.0 rebounds while playing just 20 minutes per game. The 6-11, 280-pounder finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in his lone game against the Knicks this season.

    Did Nick Nurse ever consider inserting Drummond because of the rebounding disparity?

    “Not really tonight,” he said. “I mean, I think both him and Jabari are probably two quality rebounders for us. The only thing we did think about was trying the big lineup [with Embiid and reserve center Adem Bona]. They weren’t very big much tonight. Nor were they five, four much tonight either. But we did think about that.”

    With the Sixers down three points, Tyrese Maxey (22 points, six assists) appeared to be fouled before misfiring on a 27-foot, three-point attempt with 5.8 seconds left.

    “I should’ve just took the one dribble and shot it right,” Maxey said of forcing the shot.

    And Embiid appeared to be fouled before turning the ball over in the final second as the Sixers dropped to 24-20 on the season.

    Sixers center Adem Bona blocks New York Knicks guard Miles McBride’s second-quarter dunk attempt on Saturday.

    Out of time?

    The Sixers have agreed to sign Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract.

    Before that, Saturday was believed to be the last game in which Walker and Barlow could be active without the team needing to make a roster move. That’s because the team ran out of available games for playing on two-way contracts, since it has fewer than 15 players on standard NBA contracts.

    But they’ll temporarily have 15 players on the roster, with Bassey’s addition.

    Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. is showing why he should be a keeper at the NBA trade deadline

    On Saturday, Barlow was the sixth man for the second consecutive game after starting at power forward. Meanwhile, Walker received a did not play coach’s decision for the second straight game. He was the backup power forward before Barlow was demoted.

    But the Sixers had to decide if they wanted to sign Barlow or Walker to a standard deal to avoid this restriction. Another option would have been to sign a player to a 10-day contract. And the Sixers could have sat both of them. But Barlow still has a vital role with the team, while Walker can still contribute when needed.

    New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby passes the basketball from the floor past Sixers forward Dominick Barlow (right) and guard VJ Edgecombe during the second quarter on Saturday.

    “I’d like to find a way to get him his five, six, eight-minute stints that he’s been providing as well,” coach Nick Nurse said of Barlow before the game. “So, there’s always room to be looking at stuff, and hopefully — I think I said this a few weeks ago — we gotta figure out kinda how things shape out. Role-wise, within the starters, within the bench guys. We’re still trying to develop some of that stuff because it’s been very few games.”

    With an impending storm coming to the region, the Sixers were set to travel to Charlotte following the game instead of Sunday. They’ll practice at the Spectrum Center on Sunday before facing the Hornets there on Monday. Bassey will sign his 10-day contract before Monday’s game.

    Shortly after the game, Barlow was asked whether he and Walker had received any indication from the team that he would remain with the Sixers.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Sixers basketball right here!

    “I mean, I don’t really ask those types of questions,” he said. “I would like to think so, but that’s for my agent and Daryl. They can all handle that kind of stuff. My goal is to be a great basketball player today, and then be a great basketball player tomorrow. And if anything happens in the future, see what happens. I try not to ask too many questions about that kind of stuff.

    “I’ve been in this situation before. It doesn’t really do anything for you, besides just make you think. I’ve kind of just been enjoying the day.

    Barlow’s previous two-way deals with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks were converted to standard deals.

  • Three St. Joseph’s players score 20 points in win over Dayton

    Three St. Joseph’s players score 20 points in win over Dayton

    With St. Joseph’s leading Dayton by eight points in the second half Saturday, guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano got the crowd on its feet with a slam dunk.

    St. Joseph’s (12-8, 4-3 Atlantic 10) held onto to that lead as the Hawks secured an 81-74 victory at Hagan Arena. Glover-Toscano, Derek Simpson, and Dasear Haskins each finished with 20 points. Simpson added nine assists. Guard De’Shayne Montgomery scored a team-high 19 points for Dayton (14-6, 5-2).

    St. Joe’s Jaiden Glover-Toscano dunks against Dayton.

    “That was a fun atmosphere. That’s what college basketball should be,” Hawks coach Steve Donahue said. “Students going crazy, our guys being motivated, inspired by the fans. … The guys I thought played 40 minutes of really good basketball.”

    Burst of energy

    After falling to La Salle on Wednesday, Dayton hoped to rebound and opened the game against the Hawks with an 8-0 run.

    Dayton did enough to keep itself in the game. That is, until Haskins gave the Hawks the boost they needed.

    Haskins, who was scoreless in the first 14 minutes, drilled a three-pointer, which cut the deficit to two. He then grabbed a rebound and ran the length of the court before getting a layup, which got Hagan Arena jumping.

    St. Joe’s Derek Simpson passes the ball to Dasear Haskins on Saturday.

    Before halftime, he knocked down two additional three-pointers, one coming in the final seconds, which gave St. Joe’s a 38-36 lead.

    “It was a real big three,” Haskins said. “We were working hard that whole play, offensive rebounds and kicking out. We emphasize something called ‘boulder’ [in] every practice. So I know when [Simpson] got the ball, I know he was looking for me.”

    Clamping down

    St. Joe’s shut down Dayton in the second half.

    Montgomery was held to three points. On top of that, the Hawks forced 15 turnovers overall and coughed up the ball only 12 times against the conference’s top team in takeaways.

    Dayton’s stagnant offense allowed the hosts to add to their lead, thanks in part to Glover-Toscano, who scored 15 points after the break.

    The Flyers eventually climbed out of a double-digit deficit as the Hawks didn’t score a field goal in the final four minutes, but it wasn’t enough as Dayton fell to its second straight city team and A-10 foe.

    Up next

    The Hawks will travel to Loyola Chicago (5-16, 1-7) at Gentile Arena on Tuesday (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

  • Villanova drops a crucial conference matchup on the road against St. John’s

    Villanova drops a crucial conference matchup on the road against St. John’s

    A 22-point deficit heading into the final quarter was just too much.

    In the end, Villanova found themselves on the tail end of a 71-58 final against St. John’s on Saturday in New York City. For St. John’s, the win was retribution from the last time the teams faced off on Dec. 22 — when Villanova claimed an 85-48 victory.

    Ryanne Allen led the Wildcats with 12 points. Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova’s star sophomore guard, added 11.

    Villanova (8-3, 15-5 Big East) is now tied for second place in the conference with Seton Hall. St. John’s (6-5, 16-6 Big East) stands fourth in the Big East.

    St. John’s fast start

    The game quickly spun out of control for Villanova, as St. John’s sprinted off to a 22-5 lead across the opening 10 minutes. Brooke Moore led the way for the Red Storm, as the junior guard scored 10 points in the first quarter.

    St. John’s shut down Villanova’s offense, going on a 17-0 run across the last 7 minutes, and 38 seconds of the quarter.

    ‘We should have won’: Upset bid slips away from Villanova in overtime loss to No. 2 UConn

    Meanwhile, the Wildcats shot an uncharacteristic 2-for-11 from the field and 1-for-6 from three. Villanova entered the game as the second-best shooting team in the conference, averaging 45.1% from the field.

    Villanova attempted to push back in an energetic second quarter, in which it was outscored just 18-17. Junior forward Brynn McCurry led the Wildcats in the first half, with eight points and four rebounds.

    Turning the tables

    St. John’s, which saw some difficulty early in Big East play, was dominant on its home court on. Unlike in its previous meeting with Villanova, St. John’s controlled the game and led by double-digits throughout the second, third, and fourth quarters.

    The Red Storm succeeded in holding back Bascoe, who leads Villanova in scoring with 17.2 points per game. Bascoe dropped 21 points with a season-high nine assists in the previous win over St. John’s. But in Saturday’s contest, she was restricted, scoring just four points in the first half to support her total.

    Amid college basketball’s gambling scandal, concerns that mid-major players could be vulnerable

    Villanova struggled to keep St. John’s offense away from the net. The Red Storm scored 42 points in the paint across the game.

    Villanova scored its highest point total (20 points) in the fourth quarter. Allen helped the Wildcats make a late-game push to narrow the deficit, scoring seven points and continuing her consistent three-point shooting.

    Up next

    Villanova returns to Finneran Pavilion on Tuesday to take on Providence (7 p.m., ESPN+).

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of college sports right here!
  • ‘We should have won’: Upset bid slips away from Villanova in overtime loss to No. 2 UConn

    ‘We should have won’: Upset bid slips away from Villanova in overtime loss to No. 2 UConn

    HARTFORD, Conn. — Devin Askew drove into the paint with Villanova trailing Connecticut by just one point inside two minutes to play. The defense collapsed, so Askew kicked the ball to the wing and into the waiting hands of … Kevin Willard.

    The Villanova coach pounded the basketball onto the court with two hands. One of Villanova’s 11 turnovers came at an inopportune time.

    The Wildcats later had a lead with less than a minute on the clock, and they still did take the second-ranked team in the country to overtime, but Askew’s turnover was one of many little moments that didn’t go Villanova’s way in a 75-67 loss at PeoplesBank Arena.

    Where to start? There was Acaden Lewis’ out-of-control drive down two in overtime with just over a minute to go. Back in regulation, Bryce Lindsay missed an open runner in the paint shortly after the Askew turnover. Then Villanova’s leading scorer, who was held to three points and didn’t make any of his eight attempts, had a three-point attempt blocked in a tie game with less than 30 seconds to play.

    Villanova started overtime with a Tyler Perkins three-pointer, then got the ball back when Perkins drew a charging foul. But instead of building on the lead, Lindsay had his pocket picked by Silas Demary Jr., leading to a runout dunk from Tarris Reed Jr. Perkins’ triple, 12 seconds into overtime, was Villanova’s only made basket of the extra session.

    Villanova guard Bryce Lindsay shoots as UConn forward Alex Karaban defends on Saturday.

    The Wildcats’ youth and inexperience showed up once again in a test against one of the best teams in the country, one week after Villanova allowed St. John’s to start the second half on a 20-4 run that it never recovered from.

    “It just hurts,” said Villanova senior big man Duke Brennan, who struggled last week with the size and physicality of St. John’s but battled back in a big way Saturday. He had 16 points and 14 rebounds and, perhaps most importantly, made eight of his nine free-throw attempts in 40 minutes. “We fought until the end. That’s a great team over there.”

    Amid college basketball’s gambling scandal, concerns that mid-major players could be vulnerable

    To be sure, there were things Villanova did well enough to win. You don’t take the No. 2 team in the country to overtime without doing things correctly. The Wildcats had answers for a lot of UConn’s offensive action. They held Alex Karaban, who averages nearly 14 points, off the scoreboard for the first 30 minutes (though he did finish with 17 points).

    Perkins had 16 points and 10 rebounds and continued to be the physical and experienced guard presence Villanova needs. Askew, too, continued his strong stretch of games with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists before he fouled out in overtime. Matt Hodge followed up consecutive games being held to four points or less with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from three-point range, including a corner three that gave Villanova a 61-59 lead with just over a minute to go.

    UConn guard Braylon Mullins is guarded by Villanova guards Bryce Lindsay (2) and Malachi Palmer (7) on Saturday.

    But then came another costly error. Demary missed a driving layup, and Villanova couldn’t secure a rebound, allowing Reed to tip in the tying basket.

    In the end, UConn made the plays when it mattered. Solo Ball, who led all scorers with 24 points, hit arguably the game’s biggest shot, a three-pointer with two minutes left in overtime that turned a one-point Villanova lead into a two-point deficit.

    It is hard for Villanova to win when Lindsay doesn’t make a shot and Lewis goes 1-for-13 from the field. Yet, it nearly happened anyway.

    “We’re a young team,” Willard said. “Guys were trying to make plays. We got to the rim. We didn’t finish at the rim, and I thought we had some opportunities at the rim.”

    Villanova made 5 of 15 layup attempts.

    “We’re still going down and playing high-level defense,” Willard said. “If we can continue to build on that, then we’ll get out in transition and get some easier buckets.”

    Villanova freshman Acaden Lewis is often praised for using his ‘off’ right hand. He’s actually right-handed.

    It was the closing minutes that Willard said he needed to “get better at.” Lewis was seemingly benched for a large stretch of the second half. Brennan was in foul trouble. The Wildcats are a team without much depth.

    “I got to put the right lineups out there at times and I’m learning a lot about certain guys and what to do,” Willard said. “At the end of the day, we don’t do a free throw box out, and we don’t get a huge rebound when we’re up four with about six minutes to go. … Sometimes to get there on the road you got to make sure you finish possessions, and I thought there was three or four times where we didn’t finish possessions with rebounds.”

    An encouraging game nonetheless?

    “No,” Willard replied. “I don’t like losing. We should have won that game.”

    UConn guard Solo Ball, who led all scorers with 24 points, dribbles around Villanova guard Tyler Perkins on Saturday.

    The reality for Villanova is Saturday’s loss is one that won’t necessarily hurt. A road upset helps a lot more than an eight-point overtime loss stings as far as the meaningful metrics go. The Wildcats are 15-5 overall and 6-3 in Big East play. They started the day rated 25th at KenPom and were still there by late Saturday afternoon. They have rest ahead before a Friday home game vs. Providence, and plenty of winnable games on the calendar as they continue to hunt for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

    Plus, two more shots at the conference’s elite. On consecutive Saturdays, Villanova took St. John’s and Connecticut to the brink.

    “The good thing about conference is you play every team twice,” Brennan said. “We get another shot at those dudes. St. John’s we felt like we didn’t play good at all, all throughout our program. This game we felt like we really battled.

    “It feels like it got away and we felt like we were there the whole game. There are certain little things that come down at the end of the game where it can flip one way. It wasn’t on our side tonight.”