The usual chants of “MVP! MVP!” for Jalen Brunson were replaced by a different cheer at a lively Madison Square Garden.
“Deuuuuuce!”
Deuce McBride, Brunson’s backup, played a significant role in New York’s 111-104 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
While Brunson and Josh Hart each scored 22 points, Brunson credited McBride for the victory during his on-court interview.
McBride contributed 21 points, with 13 of those coming in the second quarter, where he outscored the 76ers on his own. This surge coincided with Joel Embiid leaving the game briefly after a possible re-injury to his surgically repaired left knee.
Though Embiid returned and helped the 76ers take the lead in the second half, Hart’s crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Knicks.
Hart also grabbed 13 rebounds for the second-seeded Knicks, who had previously lost Game 1 in their last three home series openers. They will host Game 2 on Monday.
Embiid had a strong performance with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 33 points.
“They defended their home court,” said 76ers guard Kyle Lowry. “We need to review the game footage, understand what we need to improve, and go from there.”
Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 13 points off the bench, while Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks’ former starting center who has been coming off the bench since returning from ankle surgery, scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 30 minutes of play, leading the effort against Embiid.
The Knicks had a 37-point advantage when McBride was on the court, a 27-point advantage with Bogdanovic, and a 20-point advantage with Robinson.
“They were the reason why we won the game,” said Hart. “When your top player isn’t shooting well, you need other guys to step up, and that’s what they did.”
Embiid played only 39 games this season and missed nearly two months after undergoing left meniscus surgery on Feb. 6.
He still seems to be limited—certainly not the dominant player who scored a franchise-record 70 points just before his injury—but he helped the 76ers defeat Miami in a play-in game to secure the No. 7 seed.
