NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers invaded Madison Square Garden on Monday night looking to get off to a good start in Round 2 against the New York Knicks. Following an emotional and historic rally from down 3-1 to defeat the Boston Celtics in Round 1, the Sixers were looking to carry that momentum to The Big Apple.
However, the Knicks used a big second quarter to build a 23-point halftime lead and they never looked back. Led by Jalen Brunson’s 35 points, the Knicks blitzed the Sixers and took Game 1 by a score of 137-98 to take the 1-0 lead in the series. New York had a ton of success offensively as Philadelphia was unable to respond.
The Sixers received 17 points from Paul George, 14 points and four rebounds from Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey had 13 points and three rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds and VJ Edgecombe added 12 points.
Here are the player grades following the loss:
Tyrese Maxey: C-minus
The 2-time All-Star guard had a tough time converting on his looks within the offense, but he was able to get to the foul line and knock down free throws in the meantime until he was able to find some rhythm with his shooting. The Sixers were able to receive offensive production from others as they found ways to keep the scoreboard moving against this Knicks defense until Maxey was able to get going with some tough drives to the basket. When he was able to put his head down, that’s when he found success in the paint to give Philadelphia some offensive production. Overall, not a great night for Maxey in terms of his field goal percentage, or defensively, but he was able to get to the line. That was the silver lining for him.
VJ Edgecombe: C
The rookie started off hot as he had a terrific drive to the basket for a layup before knocking down a corner 3. He made life tough on Brunson, but the New York star did get the better of him in this one. After the hot start on the offensive end, it was a struggle for Edgecombe as he was unable to really find that rhythm and groove on that end until the game was out of reach.
Paul George: B-minus
The 9-time All-Star continues to shoot the ball incredibly well in these playoffs. After such a terrific showing in Round 1, George started this one off with three triples in the early going as he was able to get the scoreboard moving for the Sixers. He was also tough on the defensive end as he was able to use his length and size to bother the Knicks on the perimeter. His shooting success was the only real positive for the Sixers in this one.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: B-minus
After a tough offensive series in Round 1 against Boston, it was encouraging to see Oubre give the Sixers a big boost in that area of the game in this one. He got himself some easy buckets just by moving off the ball when the Knicks doubled Embiid and then knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple when New York swarmed George on the drive. He provided some much-needed offense in this one as he was able give the Sixers some help on that end of the floor.
Joel Embiid: C-minus
The big fella had a tough time getting going with his jumper as he was unable to really find the touch, but he was able to get to the foul line and give the Sixers some production in that respect. He drew two quick fouls on Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns and another two on Mitchell Robinson in the first quarter to force New York to go deep into its reserves in terms of big men. As the night wore on, Embiid continued to struggle with his shooting as he found very little success in that area of his game and had some issues on the defensive end as the Knicks found a groove in the pick-and-roll game. He is going to have to be better going forward in this series, and he knows it.
Andre Drummond: C
The 14-year veteran gave the Sixers some good minutes to start his night. He provided a big presence in the paint and grabbed an offensive rebound to give the Sixers an extra possession while out on the floor against the size of the Knicks. He is going to continue to play a role for the Sixers in this series.
Quentin Grimes: C-minus
The initial stint for Grimes in this one was tough. He missed a couple of open 3-pointers within the offense and was unable to make an impact on the defensive end of the floor. He didn’t get going until late in the second half when New York was up big.
Justin Edwards: C-minus
The Sixers had Edwards play the “Hack-a-Mitch” game as he quickly picked up two fouls by intentionally fouling Robinson to disrupt New York’s flow. He then picked up a third foul while trying to play defense as it was a tough showing for the second-year wing to start this one. He knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Sixers their first bench points in the second half.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Sixers struggle to slow Jalen Brunson, Knicks in Game 1