The New York Knicks took a 1-0 lead in their series with the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. In the win, they saw an encouraging sight.
The victory certainly wasn’t an easy one for the Knicks to kick things off against the 76ers. As many expected, the 76ers are much better than their seeding indicates, as they saw the return of Joel Embiid at the end of the season.
When healthy, Embiid is one of the best players in the NBA, and the Knicks saw him play a very strong game early on. However, after a ridiculous dunk, Embiid went down with a knee injury once again. While Embiid did come back, it’s clear he isn’t 100 percent.
For the Knicks, their star player struggled in Game 1, as Jalen Brunson did not have one of his best games of the season. In the win, Brunson totaled just 22 points on a poor 8-for-26 shooting from the field. The 76ers did a good job on Brunson in Game 1, but despite his struggles, the Knicks still found a way to win.
Coming into the NBA playoffs, it was certainly a concern for the Knicks how they would fare if Brunson had an off game offensively. However, this was very encouraging to see others step up for them in the win.
Miles McBride in particular was amazing for New York off the bench, as he totaled 21 points and made five 3-pointers. Also, the Knicks got a strong offensive performance from Josh Hart down the stretch, as he hit some key shots late and finished with 22 points.
With Julius Randle being out for the NBA playoffs, this likely won’t be the last time the Knicks will need others to step up and help Brunson. Brunson is going to be getting a majority of attention from opposing defenses and will have to rely on teammates to step up like they did in Game 1.
While it wasn’t an easy win for the Knicks, this was very encouraging to see that they can win playoff games even when their superstar has an off night.
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