Knicks-Sixers- In the first game of the playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, both teams had big ups and downs. But the Knicks won in the end. This win makes them 20-2 when they have both Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby playing, and they’re really good at home, winning all 12 games there.
Knicks-Sixers- 5 Key Points
New York won 111-104 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. They had some notes, numbers, and footage from the game.
1.Embiid’s Slam, Stumble, and Return
The main question in the series changed from “How good will Joel Embiid play?” to How often will he be on the court?
Embiid did something really cool in the second quarter. He threw the ball off the backboard, caught it with one hand, and dunked it over OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. But after that, he hurt his left knee. He landed awkwardly, spun around, grabbed his left knee, and fell down.
Embiid hurt his left knee, which he had surgery on in February, making him miss 29 games. He left the game with 2 minutes and 37 seconds left before halftime. The Sixers were losing by 12 points to the only team that hadn’t lost a game they were winning by at least five points at halftime (with a record of 28 wins and 0 losses).
Embiid came out of the locker room just before the third quarter started. After Philly missed a shot, they scored 32 points on their next 15 tries, changing a 14-point loss into a six-point lead.
Embiid made a great play during that run, passing the ball perfectly to Kelly Oubre Jr. while they were on the attack.
The Sixers did great in the first and third parts of the game, scoring 70 points while their opponents got 46. But things turned around in the second and fourth quarters. They scored only 34 points while their opponents got 65, resulting in a loss.
Embiid played for about 36 minutes and 33 seconds in the game. It was a bit less than the time he played in the Sixers’ previous win. But it’s still the second-longest time he’s played in any of the seven games since he came back from his injury.
The coach of the Sixers, Nick Nurse, didn’t have any news about Embiid after the game. Embiid decided not to talk to the media.
2.Knicks’ new bench comes up big
The Knicks traded for Anunoby during the middle of the season, which made their starting lineup better. But they lost Quickley in the trade, who was a key player coming off the bench. Also, when Julius Randle got injured on Jan. 29, Josh Hart had to start instead, which was another blow to the team.
After Jalen Brunson left the game, the Knicks’ bench performance dropped to 19th place, and the team started losing by 11.6 points for every 100 possessions without him. To try and improve, they traded for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks during the season, but unfortunately, their playing time didn’t help much.
In Game 1, the Knicks’ bench made a big impact. While the starting players were outscored by 18 points in about 16 minutes, the team scored 25 more points than Philly in just over 32 minutes when at least one reserve player was playing.
Only three backup players got to play, but they made a huge impact. Miles McBride scored 21 points in just 28 minutes of play, hitting 5 out of 7 shots from 3-point range. He finished the game instead of Donte DiVincenzo and nailed a crucial 3-pointer to give the Knicks a five-point lead with 7 minutes and 37 seconds left.
“Coach Tom Thibodeau emphasized that McBride’s impact goes beyond simply scoring baskets. It’s also about his energy, defense, and hustle, which are really important.”
Robinson, like McBride, stayed on the court for the entire fourth quarter. He grabbed 12 rebounds, seven of them were on offense, and blocked four shots in 30 minutes. This was the most playing time he’s had in 11 games since coming back from being out for a while. He made a crucial play by grabbing an important offensive rebound and scoring after his own missed shot. This gave the Knicks a four-point lead with 4:25 remaining.
Bogdanovic scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in under 25 minutes. His two biggest moments were hitting two 3-pointers when the Knicks started the second quarter strong with an 11-2 run, while Brunson wasn’t playing.
3.Knicks dominate the glass again
Last year, the Knicks were really good at grabbing missed shots, especially on offense. They showed their skill by dominating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. This year, they continued to be the best at getting offensive rebounds in the whole league. They showed their strength again by outplaying the Sixers in Game 1, especially when it came to grabbing rebounds.
Philly got 24 defensive rebounds. New York grabbed 23 rebounds on offense. If you add in rebounds that went out of bounds and fouls where the ball was loose, the Knicks had an offensive rebounding rate of 51.8%. That’s the second-best rate for any team in a game this season.
Robinson led the Knicks, and along with three other players, including the 6-foot-4 Hart, they each grabbed at least four offensive rebounds. Anunoby only had one offensive rebound, but it was a powerful one that led to a score for Brunson.
Thibodeau said, “Getting offensive rebounds is important to us. When we’re not making shots, grabbing those rebounds gives us another opportunity to score.”
On Saturday, the Sixers did better with their half-court offense. However, the Knicks scored 27 points compared to the Sixers’ 11 in fast breaks, and they got 26 points off second chances, which is the most the Sixers have given up this season.
Also Read: Chicago Bulls Finish Regular Season With 72 Wins
4.Teammates Acknowledge Brunson’s Smart Moves
Brunson didn’t shoot well in the game. The Sixers used big defenders like Oubre and Nicolas Batum to guard him, and they also put extra players on him when he tried to score. Even though he’s a great player, Brunson only scored 22 points and made 8 out of 26 shots.
In the game against the Sixers, with the Knicks ahead by three points and only two minutes left, Brunson made smart moves. The Sixers were using a tricky defensive strategy, focusing on him. But instead of trying to force a play, Brunson passed the ball to Hart, who was open, and he scored a crucial three-pointer. This extended the Knicks’ lead.
On the next play, the lead decreased to four points. Brunson passed the ball to the left wing, where Anunoby made another 3-pointer after receiving the pass.
In the game, Brunson made only 1 out of 6 shots from 3-point range. But his teammates did much better, making 15 out of 29 shots (which is 52%). The Knicks tend to win games when they score more points from beyond the arc than their opponents. Right now, they have a record of 38 wins and 6 losses in those situations, which is the third-best in the league.
5.Embiid settles too much
In Game 1, Embiid showed some great moves close to the basket and reacted well when the Knicks tried to double-team him. However, he ended up with the ball too far from the hoop too many times. Instead of trying to get closer to the basket, he settled for long jump shots too often.
Embiid made 11 out of 12 free throws, but only 8 out of 22 shots from the field. Specifically, he made 4 out of 16 shots from outside the restricted area.
If Embiid doesn’t step up his game, the Sixers might be in trouble, even though just having him around is really important.
Game 2 is Monday (7:30 ET, TNT).
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