The New York Knicks completed a late-game comeback to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, 104-101, to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA playoffs.
With 28 seconds left in the game, the Sixers led 101-96, but the Knicks were able to quickly turn the tide after Jalen Brunson hit a 3-pointer, making it a one-possession game. Then, Josh Hart stole the inbounds pass from Tyrese Maxey, and the loose ball was kicked to Donte DiVincenzo, who missed his first three-point attempt, but then got another chance on an offensive rebound from Isaiah Hartenstein ; DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to suddenly give the Knicks a 102-101 lead.
The late-game events were credited to the Knicks’ grit, which has been part of their identity all season: “It was crazy, it was frenetic, but at that point we had nothing to lose,” Hart told NBA reporters after scoring 21 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. “We have to be as physical as possible, and it worked.”
Despite the odds against the 76ers down 2-0 in the series, Joel Embiid remained confident after dropping 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists: “We’re good. We’re going to win this series, we’re going to win this series. We know what we need to fix, we did a better job today, so we’ll fix it. We are the best team. We will continue to fight.”