Despite being benched in the fourth quarter of Game 1, Donte DiVincenzo’s confidence and importance to the Knicks remained undeterred. In Game 2, the starting shooting guard bounced back with a solid performance, scoring 19 points and nailing four 3-pointers in 37 minutes.
DiVincenzo’s most notable contribution came with 13.1 seconds left in the game when he hit a go-ahead trey after missing one earlier in the possession. This shot gave the Knicks a 2-0 series lead over the Sixers at the Garden.
“It was huge. It was loud as hell in there,” said DiVincenzo after the game. “Honestly, after I missed the first one I was really, really, really hoping that Isaiah [Hartenstein] got [the offensive rebound] because I knew the rotation of everything, I was going to get a second look. [Thankfully] he got the offensive rebound.”
DiVincenzo had struggled in Game 1, shooting 3-for-10 with eight points and a minus-23 rating in 24 minutes through three quarters before sitting on the bench for all of the fourth. However, he responded well to the challenge in Game 2.
After the Knicks spotted Philly a 9-0 lead for the second straight game, DiVincenzo nailed two 3-pointers in the first quarter to help settle them into the game. He was also fouled and then shoved by Sixers center Joel Embiid with barely five minutes left in the second quarter, hitting both free throws and the technical.
DiVincenzo continued to contribute throughout the game, hitting key shots and drawing a charge on Philly forward Tobias Harris. His go-ahead trey with under 30 seconds remaining proved to be the decisive moment in the Knicks’ victory.
“Felt like s–t after I missed the first one, to be completely honest,” said DiVincenzo. “I was hoping Isaiah got the offensive rebound, just because I knew I was gonna get a second opportunity.”
“We practice that every day: dagger 3s and second-chance 3s. So once OG [Anunoby] got it [from Hartenstein], I just got my feet set, trusted the work I put in and thankfully it went down.”
