Game ID: 42300116
New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers
Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHI 22 32 29 32 115NYK 36 15 32 35 118
NYK @ PHI ScoutingNYK @ PHI Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
PHI availability going into 4/22 · 1 day's restOUT Melton missed 2 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 4 since 4/09, out tonight
BACK Harris back 4/09 after 3, 32 min since (94% of 34)
BACK Lowry back 4/12 after 2, 29 min since (101% of 29)
BACK Bamba back 4/07 after 3, 9 min since (73% of 13)
PHI availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Melton missed 3 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Bamba missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 5 since 4/09, out tonight
OUT Dowtin Jr. missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Harris back 4/09 after 3, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Lowry back 4/12 after 2, 30 min since (105% of 29)
PHI availability going into 4/28 · 2 days' restOUT Melton missed 4 since 4/14, returns tonight: 7 min (27% of 26)
OUT Bamba missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 6 since 4/09, out tonight
OUT Dowtin Jr. missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 4/12 after 2, 30 min since (105% of 29)
PHI availability going into 4/30 · 1 day's restOUT Bamba missed 4 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 7 since 4/09, out tonight
OUT Dowtin Jr. missed 4 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Melton back 4/28 after 4, 7 min since (27% of 26)
NEW Embiid 35 to 40 min over the last 4
PHI availability going into 5/02 · 1 day's restOUT Hield missed 2 since 4/28, returns tonight: 22 min (88% of 24)
OUT Bamba missed 5 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 8 since 4/09, out tonight
OUT Dowtin Jr. missed 5 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Melton back 4/28 after 4, 7 min since (27% of 26)
NEW Maxey 38 to 45 min over the last 5
NEW Embiid 35 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Oubre Jr. 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/22 · 1 day's restOUT Burks missed 2 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 4/14, out tonight
NEW Hart 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Achiuwa missed 2 since 4/20, returns tonight: 10 min (43% of 24)
OUT Burks missed 3 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 3 since 4/14, out tonight
NEW Hart 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/28 · 2 days' restOUT Burks missed 4 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 4 since 4/14, out tonight
BACK Achiuwa back 4/25 after 2, 10 min since (43% of 24)
NEW Hart 35 to 43 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/30 · 1 day's restOUT Burks missed 5 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 5 since 4/14, out tonight
BACK Achiuwa back 4/25 after 2, 15 min since (64% of 24)
NEW Brunson 36 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Hart 35 to 44 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 5/02 · 1 day's restOUT Burks missed 6 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 6 since 4/14, out tonight
BACK Achiuwa back 4/25 after 2, 15 min since (64% of 24)
NEW Brunson 36 to 44 min over the last 5
NEW Anunoby 35 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Hart 35 to 46 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 26 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 5/06 · 3 days' restOUT Achiuwa missed 2 since 4/30, returns tonight: 4 min (18% of 24)
OUT Burks missed 7 since 4/14, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 7 since 4/14, out tonight
NEW Brunson 36 to 44 min over the last 5
NEW Anunoby 35 to 44 min over the last 5
NEW Hart 35 to 47 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 5/08 · 1 day's restOUT Burks missed 8 since 4/14, returns tonight: 1 min (5% of 15)
OUT Sims missed 8 since 4/14, out tonight
BACK Achiuwa back 4/25 after 2, 11 min since (48% of 24)
NEW Brunson 36 to 45 min over the last 5
NEW Anunoby 35 to 45 min over the last 5
NEW Hart 35 to 47 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 5/10 · 1 day's restOUT Sims missed 9 since 4/14, returns tonight: 4 min (34% of 12)
BACK Achiuwa back 5/06 after 2, 16 min since (69% of 24)
BACK Burks back 5/08 after 8, 1 min since (5% of 15)
NEW Brunson 36 to 43 min over the last 5
NEW Anunoby 35 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Hart 35 to 48 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 5/12 · 1 day's restBACK Achiuwa back 5/06 after 2, 18 min since (77% of 24)
BACK Burks back 5/08 after 8, 11 min since (74% of 15)
BACK Sims back 5/10 after 9, 4 min since (34% of 12)
NEW Brunson 36 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Anunoby 35 to 41 min over the last 4
NEW Hart 35 to 48 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 34 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 106, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Maxey at 32 and Embiid at 32 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Hield (2 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 107, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 34 and Hart at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-5 a night and Philadelphia minus-5. Call it Philadelphia 110, New York 108, New York keeping it close.
4/22 @ NYK 101-104 — PHI notes
PHI lost 101-104. PHI shot 43% (36 of 84) to NYK's 41%, 13 of 36 from three. Maxey led with 35 (12 of 22, 5 of 11 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Embiid added 34, Harris 10. Q1 was theirs, 25-18, but the other 3 periods went 86-76 against them. They led by as many as 10.
4/25 vs NYK 125-114 — PHI notes
PHI won 125-114. PHI shot 55% (41 of 75) to NYK's 49%, 15 of 31 from three, and went to the line 33 times to NYK's 19 — 28 points from the stripe to their 13. Embiid led with 50 (13 of 19, 5 of 7 from three, 19 of 21 at the line); Maxey added 25, Oubre Jr. 15. The hinge was Q3, 43-27: PHI came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 13. PHI trailed 55-58 at the half and won the second half 70-56. Embiid was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
4/28 vs NYK 92-97 — PHI notes
PHI lost 92-97. PHI shot 35% (29 of 82) to NYK's 43%, 9 of 33 from three. The glass went 42-52 against them. Embiid led with 27 (7 of 19, 1 of 6 from three, 12 of 14 at the line); Maxey added 23, Oubre Jr. 19. Q1 was theirs, 27-17, but the other 3 periods went 80-65 against them. They led by as many as 12. Harris's -7 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/30 @ NYK 112-106 — PHI notes
PHI won 112-106 in 1 overtime. PHI shot 46% (42 of 91) to NYK's 47%, 15 of 39 from three. Maxey led with 46 (17 of 30, 7 of 12 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Harris added 19, Embiid 19. The hinge was Q1, 26-17: from level to 9 ahead. PHI trailed 43-49 at the half and won the second half 69-57. Embiid was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
5/02 vs NYK 115-118 — PHI notes
PHI lost 115-118. PHI shot 44% (38 of 87) to NYK's 46%, 17 of 40 from three. Embiid led with 39 (12 of 25, 2 of 5 from three, 13 of 13 at the line); Hield added 20, Maxey 17. Q2 was theirs, 32-15, turning a 14-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-83 against them. They led by as many as 10.
4/22 vs PHI 104-101 — NYK notes
NYK won 104-101. NYK shot 41% (37 of 91) to PHI's 43%, 11 of 33 from three. Brunson led with 24 (8 of 29, 1 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Hart added 21, DiVincenzo 19. The hinge was Q3, 30-21: NYK came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 5. NYK trailed 49-53 at the half and won the second half 55-48. DiVincenzo was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
4/25 @ PHI 114-125 — NYK notes
NYK lost 114-125. NYK took 15 more shots (90 to 75), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 49% to PHI's 55%, 13 of 30 from three, and got to the line 19 times to PHI's 33. Brunson led with 39 (13 of 27, 3 of 7 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Hart added 20, Anunoby 17. Q1 was theirs, 29-27, but the other 3 periods went 98-85 against them. Hartenstein's -24 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/28 @ PHI 97-92 — NYK notes
NYK won 97-92. NYK shot 43% (37 of 86) to PHI's 35%, 7 of 27 from three. The glass went 52-42 for them. Brunson led with 47 (18 of 34, 2 of 8 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Anunoby added 16, McBride 13. The hinge was Q2, 30-22: the deficit went from 10 to 2. NYK trailed 47-49 at the half and won the second half 50-43. Achiuwa was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
4/30 vs PHI 106-112 — NYK notes
NYK lost 106-112 in 1 overtime. NYK shot 47% (40 of 86) to PHI's 46%, 10 of 36 from three. Brunson led with 40 (15 of 32, 4 of 11 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Hart added 18, Anunoby 17. Q2 was theirs, 32-17, turning a 9-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 95-74 against them. They led by as many as 10. Anunoby's -10 in 50 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/02 @ PHI 118-115 — NYK notes
NYK won 118-115. NYK shot 46% (43 of 93) to PHI's 44%, 14 of 31 from three. Brunson led with 41 (13 of 27, 3 of 8 from three, 12 of 16 at the line); DiVincenzo added 23, Anunoby 19. The hinge was Q1, 36-22: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 22. NYK trailed 51-54 at the half and won the second half 67-61.
5/06 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Brunson at 38 and Anunoby at 16 a game. Without Achiuwa (2 straight). 3 days' rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Turner at 20 a game. Without Smith (3 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the line, where New York takes 23 free throws a game to Indiana's 17. Call it New York 114, Indiana 113, Indiana keeping it close.
5/08 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 42 and Anunoby at 16 a game. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Turner at 20 and Haliburton at 16 a game. Without Smith (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the line, where New York takes 24 free throws a game to Indiana's 18. Call it New York 115, Indiana 114, Indiana keeping it close.
5/10 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Haliburton at 19 and Toppin at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Smith (5 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 40 and Anunoby at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-5 a night and Indiana minus-5 and the line, where New York takes 24 free throws a game to Indiana's 17. Call it Indiana 116, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
5/12 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Haliburton at 22 and Siakam at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Smith (6 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 36 and DiVincenzo at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-3 a night and Indiana minus-4 and the arc, New York at 43 percent from three to Indiana's 36. Call it Indiana 116, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKDD D. DiVincenzo
IH I. Hartenstein
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
MM M. McBride
MR M. Robinson
OA O. Anunoby
PHIBH B. Hield
CP C. Payne
JE J. Embiid
KL K. Lowry
KO K. Oubre Jr.
NB N. Batum
PR P. Reed
TH T. Harris
TM T. Maxey
NYK/PHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference semis, topping 76ers 118-115 in Game 6
PHILADELPHIA -- — With a frenzied Philly crowd clamoring for defense, Josh Hart hesitated for just a second after Jalen Brunson passed him the ball from the left wing before Hart realized the 76ers weren't playing any D on him.
Left alone at the top of the arc, Hart let it fly.
“I was able to get my feet set and just shoot an open uncontested shot,” he said.
Hart raised his arms and extended three fingers on each hand on his go-ahead 3-pointer with 24.4 seconds left that was finally enough to help send the New York Knicks past the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 in Game 6 on Thursday night and into the second round of the playoffs.
Brunson had 41 points and 12 assists to lead the Knicks, who are set for an Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with Indiana. The Pacers beat Milwaukee in six games and advanced to the second round for the first time in 10 years.
Game 1 is Monday night in New York.
The Knicks are through to the second round in consecutive years for the first time since the postseasons from 1992-2000, and even then, nobody did what Brunson did in this series by scoring 40 points or more in each of the final three games. He became the first Knick to do that since Bernard King 40 years ago, and the first NBA player to score 40 or more to close out a series since Michael Jordan for Chicago against Cleveland in 1989.
In a series defined by tight games, Hart hit the clutch shot that made it 114-111 and again had “Let’s go Knicks! Let’s go Knicks!” chants echoing throughout Philly’s home court. Joel Embiid scored a bucket but fouled out on the next possession. Donte DiVincenzo sealed New York's win with two free throws.
“The fourth quarter was just one big play after the next,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Naturally, the former Villanova Wildcats trio of Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson saved the Knicks from a first-half collapse that was nearly enough to force a Game 7. DiVincenzo scored 23 points in 48 minutes and Hart had 16.
Hart atoned for a missed free throw late in Game 5 that would have put the Knicks up by four. Nursing a three-point lead, Tyrese Maxey pulled up from 35 feet to tie it at 97 with 8.1 seconds left and the Sixers went on to win the game.
“I felt that loss is on my shoulders,” Hart said. “I had a day-and-a-half to think about that. That’s really all I thought about.”
The 76ers — who trailed by 22 in the first half before taking a 54-51 lead at the break — have another long off summer to think about one more wasted season of Embiid's prime.
Embiid finished with 39 points and 13 rebounds. Buddy Hield had 20 points. After dropping 45 points in Game 5, Maxey was a non-factor in the first half and finished with 17.
“This series probably could have went the exact opposite the way it did,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “But it didn’t."
Despite Philadelphia’s best efforts to keep rowdy Knicks fans at home, Wells Fargo Center sounded more like Madison Square Garden in the waning moments. Knicks fans crowded near New York’s tunnel after the game and held their phones high to capture video of their favorite team headed to the locker room.
“Was it hostile?” Thibodeau cracked, when asked about the atmosphere.
This was a game were it seemed natural to want to skip ahead to the final minute. After all, there have been five playoff games since the 1996-97 season where a team trailed by five or more in the final 30 seconds of regulation and came back to win — and two were in this series.
Game 2, the Knicks rallied to win 104-101.
Game 5, the 76ers came back for a 112-106 overtime win.
Exhilarating, exhausting, there was more can-you-top-this ahead.
With Sixers fans having seized back the building, they were roaring at the late tip — shortly after 9 p.m. — only for the Knicks to come roaring out to a 33-11 lead. Just last season, the 76ers held a 3-2 series lead against Boston in the East semifinals, only to drop Game 6 at home, and then Game 7 in Boston. The Sixers lost Game 6 and the East semis in 2022 at home to Miami.
Only in this Game 6, the Sixers showed some moxie.
With Maxey unable to find a shot, Hield about saved the season. Acquired at the trade deadline, Hield lost his starting job after a late-season slump. He missed all four 3-point attempts in the first three games of the series and did not play in the last two. Hield found his shot in Game 6, hitting five 3s in the second quarter that sparked the Sixers on a 34-11 run.
His fifth 3 helped send the Sixers into the half with a 54-51 lead.
Maxey hit a 3 for a 10-point lead in the third before a pair of wild misses from beyond the arc sparked a Knicks rally. OG Anunoby closed the third quarter with a tying 3 for New York and he opened the fourth with one for an 86-83 lead. With the game tied 95-all, Brunson hit a step-back 3 and then another 3 that made it 101-95.
Anunoby's dunk for an eight-point Knicks lead with 2:43 left looked like it might be decisive. But the Sixers had one more run in them. Like so many empty postseasons before them, it wasn't enough.