Late scoring drought sends 76ers home trailing 2-0 to Knicks
late-scoring-drought-sends-76ers-home-trailing-2-0-to-knicks
The Philadelphia 76ers let a fourth-quarter lead slip away Wednesday night, falling 108-102 to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Philadelphia went nearly six minutes without a field goal down the stretch, allowing New York to rattle off nine unanswered points and seize a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series. The collapse mirrored the situation the 76ers faced in the previous round against Boston—down 1-0 and missing Joel Embiid—but this time the late shots did not fall.
Head coach Nick Nurse praised his team’s effort but lamented the missed opportunities. “All we needed was one or two [shots] to get it down to the end where we had a chance,” he said.
Embiid sits, status day-to-day
Embiid, originally listed as probable, was ruled out about six hours before tipoff with a right ankle sprain and right hip soreness. Nurse called the reigning MVP’s availability “day-to-day,” leaving his status for Friday’s Game 3 in Philadelphia uncertain.
Since returning from an emergency appendectomy on April 9, Embiid has appeared in five playoff games, averaging 25.2 points, eight rebounds and 5.8 assists. He played 38 regular-season contests, averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Lead changes and late misses
The teams exchanged the lead 25 times—the most in any playoff game in more than a decade—before New York took control. Philadelphia missed 11 of its final 12 three-point attempts, while Knicks guard Jalen Brunson connected on a pair of clutch jumpers over forward Dominick Barlow to seal the outcome.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 26 points, playing all but 72 seconds despite jamming an already sore right pinkie finger during the game. “Every single game is going to be extremely physical, extremely competitive, and it’s going to come down to who makes the play at the end,” Maxey said.
Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at Wells Fargo Center, where Philadelphia must protect home court to avoid falling into a 3-0 deficit.
Source: ESPN
