Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse says refs IGNORED his pleas for a timeout before turnover that led to Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo’s game-winning 3-pointer
Even for a building known for its volume, Madison Square Garden got loud Monday night during Game 2 of the New York Knicks’ opening-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The obvious culprit was Donte DiVincenzo’s go-ahead 3-pointer, which capped a wild play with 13 seconds left and sent Knicks fans into absolute hysteria.
But after the 104-101 victory in Game 2 in New York – which gave the Knicks a 2-0 lead in the series – Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse told reporters that the dramatic game winner should not have counted.
As Nurse explained, after Knicks guard Jalen Brunson cut the Sixers’ lead to 101-99 with a 3-pointer 27 seconds in, he called for a timeout. Moreover, video replay confirms this.
“The first thing is, of course, they score, we’ll see if we can get it in quickly,” the nurse said. “If we don’t get it in quickly, I’ll call a timeout. The referee looked straight at me and ignored me.’
Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters the dramatic game winner should not have counted
Donte DiVincenzo’s go-ahead 3-pointer capped a wild game with 13 seconds left
Even without the timeout, the Sixers still managed to get the ball to Tyrese Maxey, but he was quickly overrun by Brunson and his Knicks teammate Josh Hart. Maxey would lose the ball when he crashed into the hardwood, and with no whistle for travel or a foul, Hart was able to pick it up and pass it to DiVincenzo.
The Knicks guard missed his initial three-pointer, but teammate Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the rebound and passed it to OG Anunoby, who gave it back to DiVincenzo for the go-ahead three-pointer with 13 seconds left.
“I went to Tyrese [Maxey]“I called timeout again and that’s when the fight started,” the nurse recalled. “I think I have to run on the ground or do something to get his attention.” I needed a timeout there to move forward. Would have been good. But I couldn’t get it.’
Anunoby ultimately hit two free throws to seal the victory for New York and send the series back to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.
The Knicks trailed by five points inside the final 30 seconds and were on the verge of losing home field advantage before the stunning rally on an otherwise miserable night.
Donte DiVincenzo walks off the floor after his go-ahead 3-pointer Monday night
Brunson finished with 24 points despite going 8 for 29 from the field. Josh Hart had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and DiVincenzo scored 19 points.
Maxey had 35 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a brilliant performance after being ill earlier in the day and missing their morning shootaround. Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds.
The 76ers appeared to be on the verge of going home happy after Maxey scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:09 to play gave the 76ers a 100-96 lead and when Kyle Lowry made a free throw with 47 seconds left, the crowd at Madison Square Garden was as silent as it had been all night Has been.
A few minutes later, fans were wildly chanting DiVincenzo’s name after he gave the Knicks their first 2-0 lead in a playoff series since the first round against Boston in 2013.
Hartenstein scored 14 points and Anunoby had 10, but it was mostly the efforts of Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo – the three former Villanova Wildcats who now return to Philadelphia for the next two games.
Hart scored 19 in the first half to keep the Knicks close in a game they didn’t lead for the first time until there were four minutes left in the third quarter.
Brunson was just 8 for 26 in Game 1, but had eight rebounds and six assists on Monday.
New York Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein defends Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid in second half
Knicks star Jalen Brunson (right) talks with his father and New York assistant Rick Brunson
Embiid played 39 minutes and rarely seemed bothered by his surgically repaired left knee, which he appeared to re-injure in Game 1. But he and Maxey were of little help, as Tobias Harris was the only other Philadelphia player in double figures with 10 points.
Maxey, a finalist for the Most Improved Player award, hit three straight 3-pointers to start the game and send the 76ers to a 9-0 lead. They led by 10 in the second quarter when Embiid was called for a technical foul. After being called for a foul trying to block DiVincenzo on a drive to the basket, he used the ball to push DiVincenzo back.
That got the fans involved and Embiid booing profanely, but the Knicks couldn’t really make a dent in the score until Hart scored seven straight points, with his 3-pointer in transition cutting the score to 51-48. At halftime it was 53-49.
Reserves Bojan Bogdanovic and Deuce McBride, who had big performances in Game 1, combined for 11 consecutive New York points for a 90-82 lead with 7:43 remaining. But Philadelphia fought back to tie the score at 94 on a Maxey basket.