Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns fueled a late surge to survive 25 lead changes, overcoming Tyrese Maxey’s heroics and a shorthanded Philadelphia squad.
Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks was a lot tighter than the opener.
New York escaped with a 108-102 win after a night full of swings, ties, and small runs that never let either side fully breathe. In total, there were 25 lead changes, the most in a playoff game since 2015. Philadelphia even led 62-61 at halftime and 90-89 after three, but New York’s 19-12 edge in the fourth made the difference in the end.
Philadelphia got strong scoring support from several players. Paul George finished with 19 points and made five threes, while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 points of his own, and Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 26 points and six assists. V.J. Edgecombe chipped in 17 points and continued to be useful on both ends, even if the game got away late.
Maxey gave Philadelphia a chance to keep pace for most of the night. The all-star guard had 19 points, three rebounds, and four assists at halftime.
Although he didn't play as well in the second half, he was an important piece for Philadelphia, as he played nearly every minute of this game to make up for the loss of Joel Embiid. George also gave Philly a hot start, going 4-for-4 early and scoring 11 points on that opening burst, which helped keep the game close through the first half.
Jalen Brunson was the difference when the game tightened late. He finished with 26 points, and the Knicks leaned on him down the stretch as they pulled away in the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns also stayed productive with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, giving New York enough balance to survive Philadelphia’s runs.
This production is particularly impressive considering Towns didn't play in much of the first half due to foul trouble.
Overall, this game could've gone either way, but Brunson and Towns gave the Knicks the late surge they needed to walk away with a win. The 76ers performed much better in this outing than in their Game 1 blowout loss, but they still need to find an answer for Towns' spacing and Brunson's three-level scoring.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.