The New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 on Wednesday, taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Without the injured Joel Embiid (32), the Sixers struggled to contain the Knicks, who capitalized on the absence of Philadelphia’s star center.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points, while OG Anunoby added 24 and Mikal Bridges contributed 18. The Knicks are now just two wins away from returning to the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers last year.
Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points for the Sixers, who showed more fight than in Monday’s Game 1 blowout. Philadelphia led for much of the night, but the loss of Embiid—ruled out hours before tipoff with a right ankle sprain and hip soreness—proved costly.
Without their talisman, the Sixers relied on coach Nick Nurse’s strategy to compensate in the paint, drawing fouls on Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns. The Dominican-American played only 27 minutes but still managed 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
Philadelphia came out strong, with Paul George scoring 11 of the team’s first 13 points in the first quarter. Tyrese Maxey added 15 in the second, and VJ Edgecombe also chipped in as the Sixers took a 62-61 lead into halftime.
The visitors shot well from outside but struggled defensively without Embiid patrolling the paint, allowing Brunson, Anunoby, and Bridges to attack the rim effectively.
The game remained tight until the Sixers went cold in the fourth quarter, failing to score for nearly six minutes. Jalen Brunson then scored five straight points to spark a 9-0 run, giving the Knicks a decisive lead with three minutes remaining.