Joel Embiid and the 76ers lost game two to the Knicks in heartbreaking fashion, as New York wiped away a five-point deficit with 30 seconds to go thanks to a Jalen Brunson 3-pointer, a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass, and a three from Donte DiVincenzo following an offensive rebound.
The devastating loss put Philly behind 2-0 in the series heading back to the Wells Fargo Center for game three on Thursday night, but that didn’t stop Embiid from declaring that the Sixers will still be moving on.
“We're gonna win this series,” Embiid said, his head in his hand, staring at the ground. “We're gonna win this. We know what we've got to fix. We did a better job today, so we're gonna fix it. We're the better team and we're gonna keep fighting.”
Embiid missed the potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, clinching the improbable comeback for New York in what was one of the more crushing losses for the Sixers in the playoffs since Kawhi Leonard’s bouncing buzzer beater in game seven for the Raptors in 2019.
For Embiid’s declaration to come true, the Sixers would have to make franchise history, as the team has never won a seven-game series when trailing 2-0.
Embiid, still working his way back to 100 percent after knee surgery, scored 34 points in 39 minutes while shooting 41.4 percent from the field but just 2-for-9 from downtown.