The Fateful Eight: Epic Finish Gives Knicks Game 2 Win, 2-0 Lead Over 76ers

A miracle at Madison Square Garden gave the New York Knicks an improbable victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Apr 22, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) dribbles / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks' Villanova Wildcat contingent clawed out one of most memorable victories in franchise postseason history.

Eight points in 20 seconds defined the latest bit of Knicks history: trailing by five in the final half-minute, consecutive threes from Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, the latter coming after a Josh Hart steal, paved the way for one of the most improbable, yet euphoric, victories in recent NBA playoff memory, as New York erased a late deficit to pull off a 104-101 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The Knicks-Sixers series seemed destined for a 1-1 tie as Philadelphia held a narrow but likely impenetrable five-point lead in the final minute. Monday's visitors had overcome a strong third quarter from the Knicks and turned an eight-point deficit at 7:43 following Miles McBride's successful and-one tally into a 101-96 advantage. Though it was far from the reserve showcase they set up in Game 1 on Saturday, McBride and Bojan Bogdanovic came through big with an exclusive 11-0 run to provide late momentum.

Apr 22, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) dribbles / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

But Philadelphia fought back, setting the stage for a jovial ride home. Every point in the 19-6 fight back was scored by either the Joel Embiid/Tyrese Maxey tandem (which united for 69 of Philadelphia's 101 points) or longtime Knicks nemesis Kyle Lowry.

A new Garden memory, however, was planted when the Knicks got the ball back with 45 seconds left after Lowry hit one-of-two at the line following a Brunson misfire. The Knicks nearly lost the ball and took longer than anticipated, but Brunson recovered well enough to hit a three-pointer that bounced off the rim yet went through the hoop in the right direction, lowering the gap to two.

With 27 seconds left and likely needing a foul to keep their hopes alive, the Knicks engaged in a full-court press with Brunson and Hart hounding Maxey on a double team. Maxey mishandled the inbounds pass and fell before Hart swiped the ball away before Philadelphia could get a timeout in, igniting a new Knicks possession. DiVincenzo missed his first attempt at a go-ahead triple, but Isaiah Hartenstein wrangled away the rebound. Quick dishes from Hartenstein to Anunoby to DiVincenzo gave him the necessary redemption shot that sank through and sent MSG into hysterics.

Apr 22, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) celebrates with / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

New York now has a 2-0 lead in an NBA playoff series for the first time since 2013, when they went on to defeat Boston in a six-game opening round.

That two-game advantage has hardly come easy: Brunson's involvement in the late heroics partly negated another brutal shooting night (8-of-29) and the Knicks won the rebounding battle by only two (minus-5 at the end of the first half). Another slow start forced the Knicks on another comeback trail: Maxey kickstarted a 35-point night with three consecutive threes and Philadelphia limited the Knicks to only 18 over the first dozen. Originally listed as questionable for Monday's game due to an illness, Maxey also had a three-pointer that appeared to be a dagger in the penultimate minute, one that served as the last of 15 in the final period.

The series moves to Philadelphia for Game 3, which will be staged at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).