The New York Knicks took control in the fourth quarter on Wednesday to outlast the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 to take a 2-0 series lead.
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Wednesday’s matchup was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish. Joel Embiid was ruled out for the Sixers hours before tipoff, but Philadelphia actually held a small advantage for most of the night.
While the Sixers struggled with turnovers early, the Knicks struggled to knock down their three-point attempts. After 12 minutes, Philadelphia remained ahead by two.
The second quarter was even closer, with the Sixers jumping out to several leads before the Knicks inevitably responded with their own scoring runs. After 12 more minutes, the Sixers led by one at halftime.
Ball security continued to be an issue for Philadelphia, but that problem was cancelled out by yet another hot shooting quarter in the third. Luckily for New York, the Knicks did the same to once again keep it close.
Karl-Anthony Towns was huge for the Knicks in the third, keeping them in the game heading into the final 12 minutes.
That’s when the Knicks finally got in the driver’s seat. It wasn’t pretty, but elite defense down the stretch forced the Sixers into their coldest stretch of the night.
New York wasn’t exactly on fire in the fourth either, but they were able to jump ahead by six with three minutes to play. Hustle plays and crucial rebounds helped the Knicks hold on in the final moments and come away with the win.
Jalen Brunson finished the night with 26 points and six assists while Towns put up 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
For the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey led the way with 26 points and six assists.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
