Knicks overcome poor shooting, foul trouble to beat 76ers 108-102 in Game 2

Game 2 between the Knicks and 76ers on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden was not a pretty game. At times, it was a downright ugly game with 43 fouls called, 31 turnovers, one flagrant foul, and one technical foul. Yet, when the final whistle blew, the Knicks had secured a hard-fought 108-102 win to secure a 2-0 series lead.

In many ways, this was not a game the Knicks should have won. They shot just 27% from beyond the arc, while the 76ers shot 38%. Jalen Brunson was only 9-for-21 from the field for 26 points with three turnovers. Foul trouble limited Karl-Anthony Towns to just eight minutes in the first half and 27 minutes in the game, and OG Anunoby seemed to get hurt with three minutes left and the Knicks up by six.

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At most points in the regular season, that would have been enough to cause the Knicks to lose focus and let the game slip away, but not the playoff version of the Knicks.

Something happened to the Knicks after their Game 3 loss to the Hawks in round one of the playoffs. Maybe being down in the series finally crystallized how quickly this season could be over. Maybe they got a sense of the failed promise it would leave in its wake. Maybe they were just slow in adjusting to the elevated pace and physicality of the playoffs.

Whatever it is, something woke up inside the Knicks after that game, and this simply hasn’t been the same team since. It’s not just that they’ve won five games in a row. It’s not just that they’ve posted two of the most lopsided wins in playoff history. It’s that no matter what the opposition throws at them, they’ve been able to adjust their offensive approach and find a way to attack a different weakness.

On Wednesday, the Knicks had to adjust to a version of the 76ers that was operating at a faster, more frenetic pace. With Joel Embiid forced to miss Game 2 with ankle and hip injuries, the 76ers came out with their eye on fire, turning their offense fully over to their two young guards, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the way they did early on in this season. From the jump, it was immediately clear that the 76ers would play faster without Embiid….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-overcome-poor-shooting-foul-023032122.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-07 02:30:00

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