By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers put up a good fight without Joel Embiid, though could have used their man in the middle when they struggled to score in the final minutes of Game 2 on Wednesday night.
The 76ers were limited to 12 points in the fourth quarter and lost 108-102 to the New York Knicks to fall into a 2-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Embiid was ruled out about six hours before the game with a sprained right ankle and a sore right hip. Coach Nick Nurse said Embiid woke up with soreness and was treated during the 76ers’ morning shootaround. The team’s medical staff determined afterward that Embiid would be unable to play.
Andre Drummond started and Adem Bona backed him up. They combined for 15 rebounds but both were in foul trouble. Drummond took only two shots and Bona didn’t take any.
That’s nowhere near the kind of offense the 76ers can count on from Embiid, who has averaged 25.2 points in five games thus far.
“We feel like we should have won it,” 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe said. “It came down to shot-making at the end of the game. They were making shots, we weren’t.”
Embiid struggled through a short night in the Knicks’ 137-98 romp in Game 1, scoring 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting in 25 minutes before the starters were benched with the game out of reach.
Embiid had been listed as probable to play in that game with a bruised right hip before being cleared, and the Knicks repeatedly took advantage of his lack of mobility to create open shots.
Embiid returned from a late-season appendectomy during Game 4 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against Boston and helped the 76ers overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the series.
It’s unclear whether the pain around Embiid’s hip is replated to the appendectomy. He winced and grabbed his abdomen at one point in Game 1 after Knicks guard Mikal Bridges collided with him on a screen in the first half.
Embiid later said he felt the contact was unnecessary.
“Obviously based on what’s been going on, I guess I’ve got to protect it more,” Embiid said. “I don’t know if it was dirty or not, so I guess I’ve got to do a better job of protecting, especially that part.”
Tyrese Maxey bounced back from a passive performance in Game 1 with 26 points, while Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. each had 19. Edgecombe finished with 17, but Philadelphia was just 4 for 17 in the fourth quarter.
Embiid might have made a difference, though the Sixers are used to playing without him. It has been years since the former MVP has truly been healthy.
“I said this before, but coming back from that appendectomy so quick was not easy for him to do,” Nurse said. “He’s worked extremely hard to get back and he continues to want to play badly and I feel really bad for him, because he really wants to be out there and we want him out there.”
Perhaps Embiid will get a chance this weekend, with Games 3 and 4 in Philadelphia. Either way, the 76ers believe they can make another comeback.
“We definitely feel like we can pull ourselves out of this one,” Maxey said. “Kind of go home, get two.”
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