The New York Knicks will continue to face reigning MVP Joel Embiid after taking a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Despite Embiid’s injury scare in the Knicks’ 111-104 Game 1 triumph, Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse stated that the team had no plans to shut him down.
“I don’t think so,” Nurse told reporters when asked if they had contemplated shutting down Embiid. “He truly is a fighter, and he is battling. “I think he really wants to play.”
Embiid wowed the Knicks with 18 first-half points, helping the Sixers take early control of the game, in stark contrast to his slow play-in effort.
The Knicks got a lucky break when Embiid landed awkwardly after a stunning alley-oop slam off the backboard.
Embiid exited the game with 2:37 remaining in the first half, leaving the Sixers with worries about his availability.
“I knew when I went in at halftime that they were checking him out,” the nurse went on to say. “And he got up and moved. They did say we’re seeing. They did not rule him out yet. They just took him all the way to the end there to get him ruled back in.”
While Embiid came back in the second half, he was never the same again.
The Knicks limited Embiid to 11 points on 2 of 11 shooting in the second half.
Knicks Respond to Joel Embiid
Embiid still had 29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 37 minutes. However, the Knicks neutralized him in the second half.
They found an answer to Embiid in Mitchell Robinson, who had his best game since recovering from ankle surgery.
Robinson went toe-to-toe with Embiid, limiting the Sixers’ All-NBA center to 2 of 11 shooting while he was his primary defender, according to NBA’s matchup tracker. His excellent defensive presence against Embiid compelled Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau to use him more than Isaiah Hartenstein.
Robinson almost got a double-double (8 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) in 31 minutes off the bench. The Knicks outscored the Sixers by 20 points while Robinson was on the court.
Hartenstein was productive in 18 minutes, finishing with six points, seven rebounds, and three assists. However, Embiid shot 5 of 8 against his defense.
Jalen Brunson praises Miles McBride for stepping up.
Knicks standout Jalen Brunson hit only 8 of 26 from the field as the Sixers defense closed in on him. But his backup, Miles McBride, came through with a playoff career-high 21 points to defeat the Sixers.
When Brunson went cold, McBride sank 5 of 7 three-pointers to power the Knicks offense.
During his postgame interview, Brunson made a point of acknowledging him.
“Deuce McBride,” Brunson told MSG Network’s courtside reporter Rebecca Haarlow when asked how the Knicks overcame the Sixers’ fourth-quarter lead.
McBride’s layup broke the 84-84 deadlock with 8:25 left. With 7:37 remaining, his 3-pointer put the Knicks up 91-86.
Hart finished what McBride started with three key 3-pointers, helping the Knicks survive the Sixers’ late charge.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” McBride told reporters following the game. “I’ve learned from last year. And I attempted to take it and make an impact, doing everything I could to assist the team win.”
McBride had four assists and three rebounds, finishing with a game-high plus-37 in 28 minutes off the bench.
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