Overview
- New York won 108-102 on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden to grab a 2-0 series lead in a game that featured 25 lead changes, the most in an NBA playoff game since 2015.
- Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with 5:06 left before adding another key basket minutes later, with OG Anunoby (24) and Karl-Anthony Towns (20 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) providing steady support.
- Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid, who was ruled out with a right ankle sprain and right hip soreness, as Tyrese Maxey scored 26 but the Sixers’ 18 turnovers turned into 23 Knicks points and a 56-30 deficit in paint scoring.
- Anunoby left late with an apparent right hamstring issue and did not return, and the Knicks offered no immediate update on his status, while center Mitchell Robinson sat out with an illness.
- The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday after the Sixers shot 4-for-19 in the fourth quarter, and a New York win would push Philadelphia to the near-impossible task of trying to rally from 3-0 down.