The Philadelphia 76ers-New York Knicks game Sunday is the first of five on a busy NBA slate. And it had quite the finish to the first half. There, Sixers’ guard Shake Milton drained a remarkable buzzer-beater from half court:
Shake Milton hits from half court to end the first half! pic.twitter.com/Eg1mwPYJcq
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 25, 2022
That shot looked incredibly awkward even as Milton launched it. But it went in, and that’s all that matters. With that bucket, the Sixers narrowed the deficit to 63-60 heading into the half.
The 26-year-old Milton (seen at top shooting another three-pointer during this game) was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round (54th overall) in 2018 following a four-season college career at SMU. He then was traded to Philadelphia during that draft for the rights to the 56th and 60th overall picks, Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo. Milton started in the G League in 2018, but appeared in 20 games for the Sixers that season as well, then 40, 60, and 55 over the last three seasons. He’s become an important piece for them, and started this game at shooting guard. This season, he’s averaging 11.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game.
The Sixers are 19-12 on the season, while the Knicks are 18-15. But the Knicks got off to a hot start and led 37-25 after the first quarter. Philadelphia battled back to make this closer, though, and Milton’s half-ending buzzer-beater got them within three points, setting up a potentially-interesting second half.
[The Comeback on Twitter; photo from Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports]
