Call it the Miracle Square Garden for now.
Donte DiVincenzo hit the go-ahead triple with 13 seconds left, while Isaiah Hartenstein came up with a huge block, as the New York Knicks stunned the Philadelphia 76ers, 104-101, to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their East opening round showdown.
WHAT A FINISH IN THE GARDEN 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XxYKpFqB5K
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2024
Down 101-96 with 47 seconds left in regulation, the Knicks rallied back and scored the last eight points in probably the most thrilling finish of the 2024 playoffs so far.
Jalen Brunson connected on a triple with 27 left to make it 101-99. Maxey then received the inbound pass, trapped in a double team, stumbled on his feet, and lost control.
Hart then gathered the loose ball, found DiVincenzo--who missed the triple--but Hartenstein got the offensive rebound, found OG Anunoby, who then swung it to DiVincenzo trey from top of the arc, finally giving the Knicks the lead, 102-101.
DIVINCENZO AND BRUNSON DRILL BACK-TO-BACK 3'S AND THE KNICKS TAKE THE LEAD! 🔥
13.1 REMAINING IN GAME 2 ON TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/x0PwLjhsbw
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2024
Hartenstein then chased down a racing Tyrese Maxey for a crucial block before Anunoby hit two clutch free throws for a 104-101 lead.
Isaiah Hartenstein comes up with a CLUTCH block on Tyrese Maxey’s drive 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 23, 2024
The Sixers had one last chance to send the game to overtime, but Joel Embiid’s triple-attempt rimmed out.
Game 3 of the series will shift to Philadelphia with the Sixers hoping to turn the series around on Friday (Philippine time).
DiVincenzo had 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists built on four triples with Brunson leading the way with a 24-8-6 statline despite a 8-of-29 shooting.
Hartenstein collected 14 markers, eight boards and four blocks for the Knicks.
Meanwhile, Maxey had 35 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a brilliant performance with the reigning MVP Embiid adding 34 points and 10 rebounds.
euro Jo. pic.twitter.com/UBfiXPnf1w
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 23, 2024
Maxey played despite an illness and single-handedly took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points in that frame alone and became the first Sixer to produce 30+ point and 10+ assist in a playoff game since Allen Iverson in 2005.
His triple with 1:09 ticks gave the Sixers a four-point lead at 100-96 and it seemed that the Sixers were on their way to stealing home-court advantage from the Knicks.
TYRESE MAXEY FROM DOWNTOWN!
He's got 35 PTS and the Sixers go up 4 with 1:09 left looking to tie the series up 1-1 on TNT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rjvqPXvqlF
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2024
Tobias Harries had 10 markers but was the only Sixer to score in double figures other than Embiid and Maxey.
Philadelphia opened a 10-point early in the second frame for a strong start but the ever-resilient Knicks came back multiple times.
