The New York Knicks take a 2-0 series lead after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points, including two big shots down the stretch. With the game tied at 99 halfway through the fourth, Brunson would hit two big jumpers to give the Knicks the lead for good.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Philadelphia, which was without Joel Embiid(sprained ankle/hip), battled in this game. They led 62-61 at halftime and 90-89 after three quarters. However, they seem to run out of gas in the fourth, scoring only 12 on 21% shooting from the field.
After scoring 19 points in the first half, Tyrese Maxey, who led the 76ers with 26 points, had only seven points in the second half. Maxey also had six of the team’s 18 turnovers. Paul George also slowed down in the second half. He only scored six of his 19 points in the second half, so again, the 76ers played like a tired team when it mattered most.
For the Knicks, Karl Anthony Towns had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, and OG Anunoby added 24 points, five rebounds, and four steals.
VJ Edgecombe added 17 points and five rebounds for the 76ers.
Bottom Line:
The 76ers played much better in Game 2 after losing by 39 points in Game 1, especially on the defensive end, but without Embiid, the offense struggled in clutch time.
Now, the hope is that Embiid will return in Game 3, but according to head coach Nick Nurse, Embiid is day-to-day, so who knows what he’ll be come Friday night.
The good news for the 76ers was the play of Dominick Barlow, who scored 6 points in 16 minutes, all in the second half. Barlow played great defense and finished around the rim. His performance has earned him some minutes for the rest of the series.
For the Knicks, Anunoby left the game late with an apparent leg injury. If that injury is serious, it will impact New York for the rest of this series and, if they advance, the rest of the postseason.
They say a series doesn’t start until the road team wins, so based on their performance in Game 2, there’s hope for the 76ers, but to have real hope, Embiid has to be on the court again in this series.
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