Knicks fight through foul trouble, beat Joel Embiid-less 76ers to take 2-0 series lead

Towns picked up two in the first quarter, forcing Mike Brown to Ariel Hukporti earlier than planned. Hukporti barely had time to settle in before picking up three fouls in just under four minutes. Jeremy Sochan entered as a small-ball option, and the Knicks were already piecing together frontcourt minutes with Robinson unavailable because of illness.

The 76ers led 33-31 after the first quarter behind 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Kelly Oubre Jr. found room because of the Knicks’ paint-protection principles and hit shots he didn’t hit in Game 1. Oubre and VJ Edgecombe also made Brunson work for his offense, which gave Philadelphia more staying power than it had in the opener.

The Knicks still hung around. Hart kept them in it. His defense and willingness to push in transition helped the Knicks climb back from a six-point hole and tie the game at 54. The Knicks even used their defense to grab a brief lead late in the half, forcing 10 Philadelphia turnovers before the break.

Still, they trailed 62-61 at halftime. They’d been whistled for 14 fouls, which gave Philadelphia 14 points at the free throw line. Towns had played only eight minutes and already had three fouls. Hukporti had four fouls in seven minutes.

So, Brown leaned harder into OG Anunoby, who finished with 24 points and five rebounds, at center, choosing that look over Sochan. Anunoby gave the Knicks what they needed. He was terrific on both ends in the third quarter, holding together smaller lineups while the Knicks tried to survive every whistle around their bigs.

The Knicks kept scoring. They just couldn’t get enough stops. Towns, who was excellent whenever he stayed on the floor, picked up his fourth foul with 4:31 left in the third. Philadelphia led 90-89 entering the fourth, and Game 2 had become exactly the kind of possession-by-possession fight the Knicks probably hoped to avoid against a wounded opponent.

Then the 76ers went cold. After burning the Knicks from deep for much of the night, Philadelphia missed from 3 on a few key late trips. Brunson made them pay. He buried a 17-footer to put the Knicks ahead by two with 5:06 left, then the Knicks survived a Philadelphia possession that included several offensive rebounds and could’ve undone all of their work. Instead, the Knicks got out of it clean.

Brunson answered again to push the lead to four. The Knicks got another stop. Then Mikal Bridges stepped into one of the biggest shots of the night, hitting a 20-footer with 2:56 left to give the Knicks a six-point lead, their largest of the game at that point.

By then, the Knicks could feel it. They did enough at the free throw line in the closing seconds to finish the job.