Jalen Brunson spearheaded a late surge as the New York Knicks edged a razor-tight NBA playoff clash against the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Having been thrashed in game one, the underdog Sixers were without star man Joel Embiid, who was ruled out with multiple injuries just hours before tip-off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But they put up a much fiercer fight at Madison Square, in a game featuring 25 lead changes -- the most for a playoff game in 13 years -- before the Knicks pulled decisively clear in the final minutes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brunson's clutch play -- including eight fourth-quarter points -- ensured victory, with the Knicks talisman joint top-scoring on 26 points.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It's a playoff basketball game. You know, the game was ugly offensively," said Knicks coach Mike Brown.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You give the Sixers a lot of credit. We knew that they were going to come out, they were gonna be physical."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Sixers started brightly, taking a seven-point lead five minutes into the game that would prove to be the largest of the night.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In Embiid's absence, Tyrese Maxey stepped up with 15 points in the second quarter alone, as Philadelphia eked out a single-point half-time lead. Veteran Paul George was deadly from range, with five three-pointers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But the Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns came alive after the break, scoring 20 points plus 10 rebounds and seven assists, while OG Anunoby went 9-of-17 from the field for his 24 points.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the scores level 99-99 and five minutes to go, Brunson applied the pressure just as the Sixers ran out of steam, losing their shooting touch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Two Brunson field goals gave New York a four-point lead -- their biggest of the night to that point -- before Mikal Bridges' step-back shot made it a 9-0 run and a six-point lead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Maxey made a late driving layup -- finishing with 26 points -- but it was not enough to close the gap.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We played good enough defense to win that game, especially in the fourth," said Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse, who bemoaned his team's ability to score late in the game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We played great offense. We just didn't shot-make."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The absence of Embiid, the 2023 league Most Valuable Player, ultimately told for the Sixers, who now face a steep uphill battle to reach the next round.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Embiid had been a key figure in the Sixers' upset of second-seeded Boston in the previous round, averaging 28 points in four games as the Sixers recovered from a 3-1 deficit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n