The New York Knicks held off the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 after a run of blowouts for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points, OG Anunoby had 24, and Karl Anthony Towns added 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
New York’s Game 1 victory made them the first team to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points.
However, the 76ers played without Joel Embiid in Game 2 due to right hip and ankle injuries after waking up with soreness and being unable to go through the 76ers’ morning shootaround.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 26 points, who face another big climb after falling behind 3-1 against Boston in the first round.
Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr added 19 points, while VJ Edgecombe had 17 to nearly overcome Embiid’s absence.
There are 25 lead changes, which is the most in a playoff game in 11 years, and 14 ties, and neither team led by more than seven points.
Brunson made the tiebreaking basket with 5:06 remaining and added another jumper for a 103-99 advantage with 3:45 to play before Mikal Bridges’ basket made it a six-point game.
Meanwhile, the 25 lead changes were the most since the Spurs and Clippers combined for 31 on May 2, 2015.
Maxey managed only 13 points in Game 1 but was back to leaving defenders in the dust Wednesday, scoring 15 points in the second quarter and 19 in the first half.
New York did a better job on him in the second half, as Bridges dropped 18 points to lead the charge.
The series moves to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
