Instant takeaways: DiVincenzo delivers in clutch, 76ers can't hold late lead vs. Knicks
Donte DiVincenzo’s breakthrough 2023-24 NBA season now includes some postseason heroics.
DiVincenzo’s 3-pointer with 13.1 seconds left gave New York the lead and the Knicks held on to down the 76ers 104-101 Monday night at Madison Square Garden in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
The Sixers were poised to prevail, outscoring the Knicks 19-6 to take a 101-96 lead with 57 seconds to go.
New York stole the basketball after Josh Hart’s 3-pointer with 27 seconds left and, after one 3-point miss, DiVincenzo got a second chance. The former Salesianum School Delaware high school Player of the Year from Newark then delivered the go-ahead bucket before absorbing a flurry of congratulatory chest bumps.
Tyrese Maxey was then thwarted on a drive to the basket for the 76ers and New York finished off the win.
New York now leads the best-of-7 Eastern Conference quarterfinals two games to none. The Sixers dropped Game 1 on Saturday night 111-104.
The series now moves to Philadelphia for Game 3 Thursday night at 7:30 at the Wells Fargo Center. Game 4 is there Sunday at 1 p.m.
“We played better in a bunch of areas tonight,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “Obviously, difficult when it’s so close and you kinda give it away at the end. … Just makes the series a little longer.”
DiVincenzo had entered the playoffs having scored double figures in 40 straight games. He then was limited to eight in Game 1.
But the former Villanova NCAA championship MVP drained two early 3-pointers Monday and finished with 19 points keyed by 4-for-8 aim on 3-pointers.
He also received an angry push from Joel Embiid after a second-quarter play under the basket that earned Embiid, much to his dismay, a technical foul. That led to an expletive-laced chant about Embiid from the crowd – not the last of the night – and a mischievous smirk from DiVincenzo as he went to the foul line.
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Why no timeout?
Nurse had tried calling several timeouts between Hart’s and DiVincenzo’s decisive baskets but got no response from officials.
“Referee looked right at me,” he said of when the Sixers were trying to inbound. “Ignored me. We get it in to Tyrese. I called timeout again. Then the melee started.
“I’m not gonna say I gotta run out onto the floor or do something to make sure I get his attention. But I needed a timeout there to advance it. Would have been good but couldn’t get it.”
Maxey delivers despite illness
An illness made Maxey questionable for the 76ers’ playoff bout Monday. The All-Star guard missed a morning shootaround.
When tipoff came Monday night, Maxey had the answer.
Though reportedly not 100%, he was healthy – and stealthy – enough to start. His three 3-pointers were the first baskets of the game, signaling his intent to ensure the Sixers could even the series.
Maxey had 20 points at halftime and finished with 35, keying the Sixers’ late rally. He also had nine rebounds.
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Embiid didn’t have any trouble with his balky knee and scored 34 points and snared 10 boards.
That sparked the Sixers to a 25-18 lead at the end of the first period. They led 53-48 at halftime.
Sixers needed more from others
Scoring balance helped tip the series in the Knicks’ favor, as Tobias Harris was the only other 76er in double figures with 10 points.
The 76ers could neither match nor restrain New York’s widespread weapons in Game 2. Various Knicks seemed to take turns making big buckets after New York took its first lead with four minutes left in the third quarter on Brunson’s drive that made it 68-67. The hosts took a 79-74 lead into the fourth quarter, when they led by as many as eight.
In addition to DiVincenzo’s 19, the Knicks got 24 from Brunson and 21 from Josh Hart, his ex-Villanova teammates. Isaiah Hartenstine scored 14 on 7-for-8 aim, OG Anunoby scored 10 and Miles McBride’s nine included seven in the final period. Bojan Bogdanovic also drained two huge late 3-pointers.
Hield provides little
Buddy Hield played 632 NBA games over nine seasons with four teams while averaging 15.5 points before finally playing in his first NBA playoff game Saturday.
The 76ers’ mid-season acquisition scored zero.
He had two more misses before scoring from close range after a Maxey-3-point miss midway through the second period, but didn’t score again to finish with two points.
Rebound and run
The Sixers were outrebounded 55-33 in Game 1, with 23 offensive boards boosting New York. The Knicks also scored 27 fast-break points to just 11 for Philadelphia.
Obviously, the former fueled the latter with those rebounds igniting the transition game. Embiid had also missed the end of the second quarter after tweaking his injured knee that night.
Those numbers changed Monday.
The 76ers had a 27-24 rebound edge at halftime with only six Knicks points coming off fast breaks. Big rebounds late allowed New York to finish with a 46-44 edge on the boards but just 10 points off the fast break.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New York Knicks take 2-0 series lead over Philadelphia 76ers in NBA
