Returning to the home court has inspired the psychology of Philadelphia players, and Embiid has taken the lead, scoring 48 points. This is also the first player to score 45+ points against New York in the playoffs since Jordan scored 45 points against the Knicks in the playoffs in 1996. On April 26, 2024, Beijing time, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 125-114. Embiid had 50 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Brunson had 39 points, two rebounds and 13 assists.
Despite Randle's absence, the Knicks still took the series lead with their tenacious fighting spirit, especially in rebounding protection, and the Knicks showed the usual positive attitude during the regular season, completely overpowering Philadelphia in this regard. For Philadelphia, even in the bottom half, the team is not out of the question, and now that they are back at home, they are clearly hoping to declare their return with a victory. It's just that in terms of role player play, Philadelphia still needs to dig in with all its might. Philadelphia put all the offensive power in Embiid's hands after the opening, but the Knicks were well prepared and took a fierce physical confrontation against Embiid, making Embiid have no shooting touch. Embiid frequently complained to the referees due to poor offensive form, and the rest of the Philadelphia players were also affected, making the team's offense disjointed.
The Knicks were able to maintain the advantage on the offensive end, thanks to the team's excellent defensive counter-attack, and they actively fought on the defensive end, creating a lot of scoring opportunities. Embiid's omnipotence on the offensive end did not give Philadelphia the lead, but was suppressed by the Knicks on the offensive end. The reason for this is because of Brunson's excellent performance, his three-point shot can always hit the key moment, so that the climax of Philadelphia's counterattack is always suppressed. On the defensive end, Philadelphia repeatedly missed rebounds and was counterattacked by the Knicks. DiVincenzo's one-handed smash after the air cut made Maxi who defended him lose face.
Yibian fought again, Philadelphia stepped up the counterattack, and at the same time became more active in the scramble, Maxi was pressed to the ankle in the rush, but fortunately there was no big problem. Embiid also maintained a good form on the offensive end, but Harris never found a sense of this, which led to Philadelphia's offense being limited. Embiid also put away his complaints about the referees in the first half, played more focused on the offensive end, hitting three three-pointers in a row to lead Philadelphia to widen the gap to 10 points. Although Hart hit a three-pointer, Lowry also scored a three-pointer from the bottom corner, and Hart also found the crosshairs from beyond the three-point line, and the two teams went into a battle of offense. Throughout the third quarter, Philadelphia made nine three-pointers, and with strong offensive firepower from the outside, Philadelphia entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point advantage, and Embiid scored 15 points in the third quarter.
Falling behind in the series put pressure on Philadelphia, and in the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia players wanted to bown the victory as quickly as possible. Instead of sticking to outside shots, Embiid began to play alone under the basket with the ball, and even if he didn't throw the ball, he was able to create fouls and win free throws. Batum missed a shot, and Anunoby hit a three-pointer on the counter to cut the deficit to eight points. Lowry hit a pull-up jumper to give Philadelphia a double-digit lead with two minutes remaining. The Knicks' counterattack lacked time to back up, and Philadelphia slowed down their pace to control the pace of the game and eventually beat the Knicks at home to tie the series at 1-2.