NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers are returning to the Wells Fargo Center down 2-0 in this first-round playoff series with the New York Knicks. They had their chances in both games 1 and 2, but were not able to walk away with the victory.
The positives for Philadelphia are the play of star duo Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. In the Game 2 loss on Monday, the duo combined for 69 points, 19 rebounds and 16 assists. They were able to have that type of production despite Embiid dealing with a variety of injuries and Maxey dealing with an illness.
As the series shifts to the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers continue to lean on their star leaders, starting with Embiid.
“Very good,” coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. “I thought he was excellent. Really outstanding.”
It is admirable to see Embiid play as well as he did despite the obvious pain that he’s in. Not only is the knee bothering him, but he was hit in the eye in Game 1 and is dealing with that as well. He has had a couple of dominant games to start this series for Philadelphia.
“It’s all mental,” Embiid added. “Obviously, it’s not the best-case scenario, but I’m good. No excuses. Play good or play bad, got to find a way to win.”
Then, there’s Maxey who fought through an illness that required him to have an IV. He delivered 35 points, including 15 coming in the fourth. It appeared his heroics would be enough before the unfortunate final 30 seconds for Philadelphia.
“He was ballin,” said Tobias Harris of Maxey. “That’s who he is and he made huge shot after huge shot for us. A game like that, you wanna get a victory for those types of performances and him just fighting through sickness and being there for the group. We’ll be fine. We just gotta keep our composure, stay level-headed, and be ready.”
The Sixers are down 2-0 and their prospects look rather bleak, but Philadelphia will lean on Embiid and Maxey to get back into this series. Being back in the friendly confines of the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday should help.
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