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Third Quarter

Embiid came back out on the floor about 30 seconds before halftime ended ready to give it another go. He was definitely moving gingerly, but was able to get all the way to the basket for the Sixers’ first points of the half, but they were still struggling to keep pace.

Kyle Lowry had 12 big points in the third quarter to keep the Sixers afloat. He knocked down a couple of threes and drew a foul on his third attempt as his grifting was on full display. He was also able to draw an and-1 on a layup despite not being touched by Josh Hart.

Maxey also had a few big baskets in the quarter, once again putting on a display of exciting finishes at the rim. The Knicks had him bottled up pretty well in the first half, but he was able to change up his pace and get to the rim more often in the third.

The Sixers continued to roll, retaking the lead and going up by as much as six when Embiid found Oubre with a gorgeous bounce pass in transition. The Knicks answered, but a couple more layups from Maxey had the Sixers back in front by three heading into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

Maxey wasn’t quite able to build on his third, as he got stripped a couple times to start the quarter. The Sixers did also miss some wide-open threes during this stretch. If they were able to hit one of those they would have kept the lead when Embiid came back in the game.

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While the Sixers couldn’t hit theirs, the Knicks were hitting their threes on the other end to keep them in front. On top of McBride continuing to hurt them, Josh Hart was able to make the Sixers pay for sagging off him by knocking down a couple.

The Sixers did a pretty good job of generating live ball turnovers. And by the Sixers, it was mostly Oubre. Eight of the Knicks’ 11 turnovers were steals. Oubre was responsible for five of those.

Mitchell Robinson did a solid job defending Embiid before the incident in the second quarter, and did an even better job in the second half. Embiid didn’t look interested at all in going to the basket once Isiah Hartenstein left the game, and the jumpers he settled for weren’t falling.

The Sixers were able to start scoring again down the stretch. Embiid attacked to get to the line and Maxey hit a big three to keep them alive. The Knicks answered just about every time, most of the time with a three. Even Josh Hart continued to hit threes down the stretch to put this one away.

Well, the Sixers will get at least one more chance to steal one in this building. Game 2 takes place Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Different year, same old story.

The Sixers fell 111-104 to the New York Knicks Saturday night, falling behind 1-0 in the series.

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 33 points, shooting 14-of-26 from the floor. Joel Embiid went for 29 points and eight rebounds, but had another injury scare in the second quarter and shot 0-of-5 from the field in the fourth.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart both led the Knicks in scoring with 22 points apiece.

Here are some thoughts from MSG.

First Quarter

Philadelphia started off the game hot, making six of their first seven shots. Embiid was the driving force there making his first three shots of the night on his way to an 15-point first. He was able to get a couple seals deep and converted his first two post touches into and-1s.

The Knicks’ start to this one went pretty much as expected. Seven of their first nine points were second-chance opportunities, as they grabbed five offensive rebounds in the opening quarter.

New York made them work for it, but the Sixers looked so much more comfortable attacking the paint compared to Wednesday. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Embiid combined to get to the line eight times in the quarter, as the Sixers led by nine after one.

Second Quarter

Embiid returned back to his regular substitution pattern, playing the entire first quarter, leaving Maxey to lead the second unit. While Philly’s offense struggled to get baskets during this stretch, the Knicks opened the quarter with three straight three-pointers to erase the lead.

While the Sixers immediately gave up a long run when Embiid went to the bench, for once it wasn’t the fault of the backup center. Paul Reed had a really solid first half, blocking two shots and making a couple of putbacks at really tough angles.

The Sixers’ offense remained cold even when Embiid checked back into the game. They had a field goal that lasted over four minutes, which the Knicks took advantage of to go back in front.

Well, shit. Embiid broke out one of his older tricks, he threw a lob to himself off the backboard and was able to impressively complete the play in traffic. He landed in a world of hurt though, and had to immediately head back to the locker room. Even in a hostile environment, seeing him go down like that completely took the air out of the building.

That ended up being the last Sixers points of the half, but the Knicks did not cool down. Deuce McBride, who's becoming a bit of a Sixers killer, led New York with 16 points, shooting 4-of-5 from behind the arc, as the Knicks led by 12 at the half.