Joel Embiid’s health is on the line as the 76ers battle the Knicks in Game 2

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The New York Knicks followed their now conventional path to victory on Saturday evening.

After an atypical loss with Joel Embiid in the lineup, the Philadelphia 76ers likely spent Sunday in the familiar position of worrying about the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player’s short- and long-term availability.

The Knicks will look to take a commanding lead in an Eastern Conference first-round series on Monday night when they host the 76ers in Game 2 of the best-of-seven set.

Bojan Bogdanovic, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson provided sparks off the bench on Saturday night as they combined for 42 points and 22 rebounds as hosts Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 111–104 victory.

McBride scored 21 points, his most in a reserve role this season, while Bogdanovic had 13 points in just his eighth double-digit performance in the last 19 games. Robinson had eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 30 minutes in his longest spell since returning from a three-month absence following ankle surgery.

The trio of reserves scored 26 points for the Knicks during a 39-14 run over the final 13 minutes of the first half, as New York turned a 32-19 deficit into a 58-46 lead.

The efforts of Bogdanovic, McBride and Robinson were doubly crucial for the Knicks, whose starters – OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein – scored 69 points while shooting just 35.5 percent from the field. McBride and Bogdanovic combined to shoot 8 of 13 from three-point land, while the starters were 8 of 22 from beyond the arc.

Getting contributions from all over the roster is nothing new for the Knickswhich had seven players average double figures this season and twelve players making at least ten starts.

‘We started the match slowly’ Knicks said head coach Tom Thibodeau. “And I thought it changed when the energy from the bench came in. And we need everyone, so tonight it was the bench.”

The 76erswho was 31-8 when Embiid played in the regular season, seemed headed for a similar outcome when he scored the first eight points of Philadelphia’s opening 18-7 run.

But Embiid, who is dealing with a chronic left knee injury, was slow to get up after falling to the floor following a dunk with 2:49 left in the first half, leaving the 76ers within 49-46. The Knicks scored the final nine points of the half with Embiid on the bench.

The star center returned for the second half but struggled to make his usual impact. Kyle Lowry and Tyrese Maxey combined to score 20 points as the 76ers opened the third with a 32-14 run. Embiid had five points in that surge, finishing with just 11 points over the final two quarters, when he was 2-for-11 from the field — including 0-for-5 in the fourth, when Embiid sat out the first 3:39 . .

Embiid finished with 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting.

Embiid did not speak to reporters Saturday evening. Head coach Nick Nurse said Embiid would be re-evaluated between games after the loss, but said Sunday that Embiid told him he was feeling good.

“It’s hard to see your brother go down,” Maxey said Saturday evening. “You kind of feel for him, pray for him and hope he’s doing well. I was happy to see him when we got back into the locker room (at halftime) and he said he was going to go out again and do it would give it a try. So hats off to his determination and his will to win.”

— Field-level media

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