New York (AP) lost an eight-point lead. The Knicks' edge and home-court advantage in the series looked set to continue. Madison Square Garden is almost silent.
“I mean, it's not a good feeling,” Donte DiVincenzo said.
After a while, it was bed.
DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left and New York beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-101 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
One of the most stunning rallies in playoff history started with the Knicks trailing by five points inside the final 30 seconds, when Jalen Brunson dropped a shot during an otherwise woeful shooting night.
Brunson's 3-pointer from the corner bounced off the rim and fell in, cutting it to 101-99 with 27 seconds left. Josh Hart steals the ball from Diers Maxey to give the Knicks back, but DiVincenzo misses a 3-pointer. Isaiah Hardenstein grabbed the rebound and passed it to OG Anunoby, who took it back to DiVincenzo, who made it 102-101.
“It was crazy, it was hectic, but at that point we had nothing to lose,” Hart said. “We had to get as physical as we could, and it got out.”
Hardenstein then blocked Maxey's run, Anunoby made two free throws, and the Knicks held on when Joel Embiid missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Brunson finished with 24 points despite going 8 for 29 from the field. Hart had 21 points and 15 rebounds, while DiVincenzo had 19 points.
It was the fourth time in the play-by-play era, dating back to the 1996-97 season, that a team won a playoff game after trailing by at least five points in the final 30 seconds, according to the Sporter. Others include Miami's series-saving rally against San Antonio in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Golden State's overtime victory over New Orleans in Game 3 in 2015 en route to its first three titles in four years, and Kobe Bryant's game-winner in Game 4 of the 2006 first-round series against Phoenix. Defeated the team.
Maxey had 35 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a stellar performance as he was sick earlier in the day and missed their morning shootaround. Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds.
Game 3 is Thursday in Philadelphia.
“We're going to win this series,” Embiid said. “We know what we need to fix and we did a great job today, so we're going to fix that. But we're the best team and we're going to keep fighting.
The 76ers appeared on the verge of going home happy after Maxey scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer gave the 76ers a 100-96 lead with 1:09 to play, and when Kyle Lowry made a free throw with 47 seconds left, the crowd was silent for the rest of the night.
“It's not a good feeling to lose that lead,” DiVincenzo said. “The next day it will sting a little more.”
Minutes later, fans chanted DiVincenzo's name after giving the Knicks their first 2-0 lead in a playoff series since the first round against Boston in 2013.
“It was huge and it was loud as hell in there,” DiVincenzo added.
And the sting goes to the 76ers.
“We've got to put that behind us now,” Maxey said. “You have 48 hours to think about it and come up with a plan to get two at home.”
Hardenstein had 14 points and Anunoby 10, but it was mostly the effort of Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo — three former Villanova Wildcats who will now return to Philadelphia for the next two games.
Hart scored 19 in the first half, leading the Knicks for the first time in a game they didn't lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Brunson was just 8 for 26 in Game 1, but had eight rebounds and six assists on Monday.
Embiid played 39 minutes, rarely on his surgically repaired left knee he re-injured in Game 1. But he and Maxey got little help, with Tobias Harris the only other Philadelphia player in double figures with 10 points.
Maxey, a finalist for the Most Improved Player Award, started the game by hitting three straight 3-pointers to send the 76ers to a 9-0 lead. They led by 10 in the second quarter when Embiid was called for a technical foul. After he was called for a foul trying to block DiVincenzo while driving to the basket, he used the ball to push back DiVincenzo.
That got the fans into it, booing Embiid, but the Knicks couldn't make much of an impact on the score until Hart scored seven straight points and his 3-pointer in transition cut it to 51-48. It was 53-49 at halftime.
Reserves Bojan Bogdanovic and Deuce McBride came up big in Game 1, combining for 11 straight New York points to take a 90-82 lead with 7:43 remaining. But Philadelphia battled back and tied it at 94 on Maxey's basket.
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