The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into Game 2 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA Playoffs in a hole. They were unable to hold onto their lead heading into the fourth quarter, resulting in a 111-104 loss and going down 1-0 in the series.
Philadelphia has to have some confidence going into Game 2 knowing how badly their starting five outplayed the starting five of the Knicks. The 76ers made life difficult for Jalen Brunson and forced Tom Thibodeau to turn to his bench for heavy minutes.
Unfortunately for the 76ers, the Knicks’ bench responded. Miles McBride, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson all had big games leading the team on a comeback trail. All three finished with plus/minus ratios of at least +20, with McBride setting a Knicks franchise record in the NBA Playoffs with a +37.
Veteran Nicolas Batum has revealed that the team has some stuff up their sleeve for Game 2, as they identified what needs to be cleaned up. A major part of that plan likely includes star point guard Tyrese Maxey, who is trending in the wrong direction when it comes to suiting up.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Tyrese Maxey & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Maxey, who scored a game-high 33 points in the series opener, has been downgraded to questionable for Game 2 because of an illness. This will be something everyone keeps a close eye on as Maxey is as important as any player to the 76ers’ success after playing 44 minutes in Game 1.
With Joel Embiid not looking 100 percent healthy from the meniscus surgery on his left knee, Maxey has been called upon to do a lot of the heavy lifting for Philadelphia. If he cannot suit up, they will be hard-pressed to keep up with the Knicks.
In the 2023-24 NBA regular season, Maxey averaged 25.9 points per game to go along with 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and one steal. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and is the team’s only consistent offensive threat beyond Embiid.
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