Knicks squander lead but hang on for Game 1 win over Sixers

Field Level Media|published: Sat 20th April, 21:22 2024

Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) looks to drive past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in the first quarter during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. credits: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Miles McBride drained the tie-breaking basket with 8:25 left Saturday night for the host New York Knicks, who squandered all of a 14-point third-quarter lead before coming back to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-104 in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.

Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night in New York.

Josh Hart (22 points, 13 rebounds) had a double-double while Jalen Brunson (22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) flirted with a triple-double for the second-seeded Knicks.

McBride had 21 points off the bench, including 13 in the second quarter. Fellow reserve Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 points while OG Anunoby finished with 11 points.

Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points and Joel Embiid had 29 points for the seventh-seeded 76ers. Kyle Lowry added 18 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 10 points.

Embiid scored the first eight points for the 76ers, who opened the game on an 18-7 run and expanded the lead to as many as 13 at 32-19 on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Oubre with 1:14 left.

The Knicks scored six of the final eight points of the first before Bogdanovic and McBride combined to begin the second on an 11-2 run that tied the score at 36-36 with 9:20 left.

Brunson's basket with 5:31 left gave the Knicks the lead at 42-40. New York gradually expanded its lead before scoring the final nine points of the period to go ahead 58-46.

The Knicks opened a trio of 14-point leads in the third, the last at 65-51 with 10:07 left, before the 76ers mounted a 27-7 run over the next 7:03. Oubre's 3-pointer put Philadelphia up 78-72, after which New York got within a point twice before the visitors ended the period with an 80-77 lead.

Mitchell Robinson's tip-in gave the Knicks an 84-82 lead with 10:07 left. Tobias Harris answered with a jumper 1:19 later before McBride's tie-breaking layup. The 76ers got as close as one but Hart and Anunoby combined to hit all three of their 3-point attempts in the final 1:55 to help New York pull away.

—Field Level Media

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