- Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart led the Knicks to victory with 22 points each
- The Knicks and 76ers return to Madison Square Garden for Game 2
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Jason Bateman had fans divided as he debuted his new look at Madison Garden for Game 1 of the NBA playoffs series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
After Isaiah Hartenstein’s dunk in the first quarter, the broadcast showed Bateman and Justin Theroux clapping for the center’s effort.
As they cheered, fans couldn’t help but notice Bateman’s different appearance, with long hair and a growing beard. The divided fanbase then gave their thoughts on his take on X.
“Jason Bateman has always had great hair and he still does and I’m HERE for it,” one user wrote.
Another user took the Ozark star’s long hair as a call for help, writing, “Knicks fandom finally killed Jason Bateman.”
Jason Bateman’s long hair divided fans during Game 1 of the Knicks-76ers playoff series
Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the Ozark star’s new look
The New York Knicks took the 111-104 victory in a barnburner game to take a 1-0 lead in the series
“If it turns out that Jason Bateman is the second coming of Christ, I might have to reconsider this whole atheism thing,” a third fan joked.
“Jason Bateman looks like Kurt Russell from The Thing,” another suggested.
Bateman and Theroux watched as the Knicks earned a 111-104 win over Philadelphia at The Garden.
The Blue and Orange rallied behind stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, scoring 22 points each. While Brunson recorded seven rebounds and seven assists, Hart clocked a double-double with 13 boards.
Miles McBride and Bojan Bogdanovic proved to be positive reinforcements, coming off the bench to score 21 and 13 points respectively.
On the other hand, the 76ers fell despite Tyrese Maxey’s 33-point shift and Joel Embiid’s 29 points. Kyle Lowry also contributed 18 points in Philadelphia’s losing effort.
The Knicks posted a 50-32 record this past season to capture the second seed in the East. Meanwhile, the 76ers – 47-35 – needed to defeat the Miami Heat in a Play-in to qualify as the seventh seed.
With a 1-0 lead, the Knicks will host the 76ers again on Monday for Game 2 before the series heads to the City of Brotherly Love.