Knicks bigs deal with foul trouble to begin Game 1 — but they survive against 76ers

A matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers means dealing a bunch of whistles, foul shots and substitutions for opposing defenders.

That was no different in Monday night’s Game 1 of a second-round series for the Knicks.

Knicks bigs — Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson — were whistled for fouls so often that head coach Mike Brown was forced to use Ariel Hukporti, who didn’t log a meaningful minute during the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, in the first half while his rotation players dealt with foul trouble.

Yet, in Game 1, the issue didn’t come back to haunt the Knicks as they cruised to a 137-98 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

It’s still one to be aware of as the seventh-seeded 76ers look to overthrow the No. 2 seeded-Knicks.

Joel Embiid did his work on Towns early, attacking the Knicks star with his patented triple-threat stance a few feet outside the paint.

Towns picked up two fouls before the first quarter even reached the midway point, forcing Brown to sub in Robinson early to deal with Embiid.

As the quarter came to a close, Hukporti was needed to relieve Robinson, who would be needed for the rest of the first half with Towns in foul trouble.

The issue seemed minute on Monday, with Jalen Brunson torching the 76ers en route to an eight-point advantage at the end of the first period.

But, Brown’s best lineups consist of either Towns or Robinson on the floor. On almost any other night, being without Town’s playmaking or Robinson’s rim protection and rebounding dominance would tank the Knicks.

Fortunately for them, though, the Knicks were plus-10 in the three first-half minutes Hukporti played in Game 1. And they were propelled by Brunson’s 27 first-half points. The Knicks captain finished with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting in 31 minutes.

The Knicks managed to weather the storm, even when Towns sat again after he picked up his third foul while defending ’s drive with 2:40 remaining in the second.