Knicks take 2-0 East semifinal lead with Game 2 win over 76ers

The Knicks are up 2-0, but Game 2 looked nothing like Game 1. This one was tight, messy, and tense almost the whole way. New York still got the same result — a 108-102 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 6 — and that matters because close playoff games are usually where a series really reveals itself. The Knicks didn’t just run hot again. They handled the part that usually breaks teams: late possessions, late nerves, and late mistakes. ### Why does this win feel bigger than 2-0? Because the first game was a blowout, and blowouts can lie a little. A team can shoot badly, get hit by foul trouble, or just have one rotten night. Game 2 was the check. Philadelphia stayed in it, traded punches, and made New York execute in a real half-court fight. The Knicks still won. That tells you the edge wasn’t just one hot night at the Garden. ### What actually decided Game 2? Turnovers and late-game shotmaking. Philadelphia had 18 turnovers, and in a game where neither side ever got comfortable separation, that’s a huge tax. Jalen Brunson finished with 26 points and scored 8 in the fourth quarter, which is basically the playoff version of having a closer in baseball — not flashy. This wasn’t about one star dominating the other. It was about which team gave away fewer possessions and trusted its offense late. ### Was this another Knicks avalanche? Not at all. The game had 25 lead changes, and the largest lead for either team was only 7. That’s the opposite of a runaway. It was more like two teams arm-wrestling for 48 minutes, with New York getting the last clean pulls. That matters because playoff series often swing on whether a team can win ugly once the scouting report settles in. The Knicks just showed they can. ### Where did Philadelphia lose control? The 76ers never fully lost control — that’s part of the problem. They were close enough to steal this and didn’t. When a road team survives the early storm, hangs around all night, and still leaves down 0-2, the missed chance gets loud. The turnovers were the clearest wound, but the bigger issue is that New York kept finding ways to create enough clean margin from all the possessions it forced into a grind. ### How much does Embiid matter here? A lot, and in the most obvious way possible. Joel Embiid was sidelined for Game 2 with ankle and hip issues, which changes everything about Philadelphia’s margin for error. Without him, the 76ers need near-perfect guard play, cleaner ball security, and probably a heater from deep just to keep the math even. They nearly managed the first part. They didn’t manage the second. ### So what changes going to Philadelphia? Urgency, basically. A 2-0 deficit is not a death sentence, but it turns every home game into a pressure test. The 76ers now need the series to look different immediately — fewer empty trips, more control late, and ideally a healthier rotation. The Knicks carry real advantage when a series moves buildings. ### Bottom line? New York didn’t just protect home court. The Knicks passed the harder test — winning when the game got tight enough for every mistake to matter. Philadelphia still has time, but the series has shifted from “can they respond?” to “can they stop the slide before it becomes the whole story?”