The Philadelphia 76ers continued to leave Josh Hart open in Game 2, despite the guard torching them with four 3-pointers in Game 1. While Hart’s shots were falling again on Monday, it was his usual brand of hustle and awareness that helped the Knicks escape victorious.
With the Knicks down two — after a friendly bounce allowed Tobias Harris’ corner three to fall and make it a one-possession game — Hart ripped the ball away from Tyrese Maxey on an inbound pass with 16.8 seconds left in regulation, giving the Knicks the ball and kicking it out to Donte DiVincenzo for the lead. DiVincenzo missed the first, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the rebound and kicked it to OG Anunoby, who got it back out to DiVincenzo, who netted his second attempt, leading to the Knicks stealing a 104-101 Game 2 victory and taking a 2-0 series lead.
Hart, still riding the high of a playoff-best 22 points in Game 1, burned the 76ers once again on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. The 29-year-old continued to hoist the open shots he was given without hesitation. He dominated the glass while mucking up the game with scrappy defense and hustle. And his jumper remained scorching hot as he went 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from distance in the first half alone.
Perhaps the 76ers did not learn their lesson the first time around. Maybe they assumed that lightning would not strike twice, that a 31% 3-point shooter during the regular season would cool off considerably after a performance some might have described as a fluke. And, boy, did the Knicks — who shot just 40.7% from the field — need every bit of Hart’s production in their 104-101 Game 2 win.
Hart and Jalen Brunson were the only two Knicks in double figures through two quarters of play, and the 76ers made Brunson work for all 13 of his points. After shooting 8-of-26 in Game 1, the All-Star guard went 4-of-14 in his first 18 minutes of action in Game 2. His other running mates, Donte DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby, had just eight attempts combined in the first half.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid — who was questionable because of general illness entering the night — poured in 20 points in the first half, while James Harden added 16. Philadelphia’s stars came ready to play. But for the second straight game, the Knicks’ top offensive threats were nowhere to be found in the opening minutes. If not for Hart’s first-half heroics, this was a game that could have gotten ugly for them in a hurry.
When Hart walked up to the free throw line late in the third quarter, he was the Knicks guard receiving “MVP” chants — not Brunson. And through the first two games of the Knicks’ first-round best-of-seven series against the 76ers, that is exactly what No. 3 has been: New York’s most valuable player.
If not for Hart’s efforts, it is not a stretch to say that the Knicks could have been staring down the barrel at an 0-2 deficit as the series shifts to Wells Fargo Center for Game 3 on Thursday. He was limited to just two points in the second half but finished with 21 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in 48 minutes. Meanwhile, Embiid and Harden continued to lead the way for the 76ers, scoring 34 and 35 points, respectively.
And perhaps that is exactly what the 76ers want — to let Hart score as many points as he pleases as long as their stars play like stars and Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Anunoby are kept in check. But Philadelphia’s gamble on Hart has been a losing proposition so far. An X-factor emerges in every series, and so far in this Eastern Conference slugfest, he has been the difference for New York.
