Knicks vs 76ers: Halftime Thoughts From Game 2

The New York Knicks once again fell behind early to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) celebrates with guard / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks got their (Liberty) bells rung in the first half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

New York kept things manageable but couldn't fully erase another early deficit as the opening round series with the Philadelphia 76ers continued. The Joel Embiid/Tyrese Maxey tandem has apparently overcome ailments to put up brilliant scoring efforts, uniting for 36 points en route to building a 53-49 lead at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks (49)

• Points: Josh Hart (19)
• Assists: Bojan Bogdanovic/Jalen Brunson/Isaiah Hartenstein (2)
• Rebounds: Josh Hart (9)

76ers (53)

• Points: Tyrese Maxey (20)
• Assists: Tyrese Maxey (5)
• Rebounds: Joel Embiid (10)

Have a Hart?

One has to assume that Jalen Brunson will find his shooting groove sooner or later. But, for the time being, Josh Hart has been the Knicks' undeniable MVP. The second-year New Yorker is already so close to a double-double, keeping the Knicks in the game to the tune of 19 points and 10 rebounds, with the shooting output including a near-perfect 4-of-5 mark from three-point range. Considering the way three-point shooting sank the Knicks' ship last season and his career-worst 31 percent success rate in the regular season, Hart's deep efforts (9-of-13 through six periods) have to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the very young NBA Playoffs.

A Precious Asset?

Head coach Tom Thibodeau showed some flexibility in his rotations over the regular season but has remained fully committed to an eight-man through six periods of this series. That's going to be tested if Isaiah Hartenstein continues to struggle, especially if foul trouble is added to that laundry list of errors. The easy solution may be to place Mitchell Robinson back in his traditional starting five spot, but why cost yourself a valuable depth asset? There's a way to have your interior cake and eat it too, though, and it's getting Precious Achiuwa in the game. While Thibodeau values consistency and familiarity, it feels like such a shame that Achiuwa came up so big in the regular season only to be disinvited from the playoff party. New York was 10-4 when Achiuwa pulled in at least 10 rebounds this season and a perfect 14-0 when Achiuwa posted a plus/minus of at least 10. Will the Knicks shake things up?

Sixer Nixer?

Saturday's Game 1 allowed the Knicks to flex their interior muscles: the plus-22 margin they earned on the boards was the second-worse the Sixers had faced all season with Embiid in the lineup. Philadelphia has recovered to be plus-4 this time around and that, of course, spells trouble for the Knicks, who are 4-13 on the rare occasions where they lose the battle of the boards. Embiid, predictably, leads the way with 10, while Nic Batum has earned five off the bench. Interior efforts have allowed Brunson to contribute even though his shot isn't falling: he's second behind Hart with four rebounds and has gotten to the foul line on seven occasions (hitting five)

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