Can the 76ers Rally to Win Game 3 vs the Knicks?

The 76ers plan to file a grievance with the NBA over the officiating across the first two games of this series, a team spokesperson told ESPN.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 23, 2024

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the 76ers’ grievance is not a protest of their Game 2 loss, which means that the result stands. Instead, Philadelphia is voicing their displeasure with officiating in the playoffs. Per Katz, their grievance will state that they’ve “been disadvantaged more than any other team” in the NBA when it comes to officiating.

Chaos at the End of Game 2

NBA news outlets witnessed Game 2’s chaotic ending. The 76ers had a five-point lead with 32 seconds left to play before Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo hit back-to-back 3-point shots to give the Knicks the lead. DiVincenzo’s 3-pointer came after an insane sequence when Josh Hart took the ball from Tyrese Maxey in a scramble after an inbounds pass from Kyle Lowry. Maxey fell to the floor but no foul was called.

DIVINCENZO AND BRUNSON DRILL BACK-TO-BACK 3’S AND THE KNICKS TAKE THE LEAD! 🔥

13.1 REMAINING IN GAME 2 ON TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/x0PwLjhsbw

— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2024

According to 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, he tried to call a timeout many times.

“I call timeout [before the inbound]. Referee looked right at me, ignored me,” Nurse told Gina Mizell from the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It went into Tyrese. I called timeout again. Then the melee started … I guess I gotta run out onto the floor or do something to make sure to get his attention.”

Joel Embiid also said that he tried to call a timeout before the Knicks took the lead.

“Everybody on the floor was trying to call a timeout, myself included … But they didn’t give it to us,” Embiid told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “But forget about the timeout, there’s a bunch of fouls. Like I said, that’s f***ing unacceptable.”

“Everybody on the floor was trying to call a timeout, myself included, Nico, coach on the sideline, but they didn’t give it to us.”

Joel Embiid was left noticeably frustrated following the Sixers’ Game 2 loss but knows his team is still capable of winning this series. pic.twitter.com/RD7lJFlp5J

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 23, 2024

Philadelphia plans to use information from NBA Officiating Last Two Minute Reports from some of the games at the end of the regular season and Game 1 of this series to make their argument. It’s hard to know if their grievances will change something or not.

The Road Ahead for the 76ers

Game 3 of this series is set for Thursday at 7:30 PM ET at Wells Fargo Center. “We good,” Embiid noted. “We’re gonna win this series. We gonna win this.”

The Joel Embiid stats have been incredible but it’s clear that he’s not at 100 percent. The star center missed 29 NBA games after suffering a torn left meniscus on January 30. He returned on April 2 and he’s playing well, but he’s limited. Tyrese Maxey is also playing phenomenal basketball but the 76ers can’t rely on Embiid and Maxey to carry them. Philadelphia won’t win this series unless other players help on offense.

Points tonight:

35 — Maxey
34 — Embiid
32 — Rest of the 76ers pic.twitter.com/EgMzXCTA1q

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 23, 2024

Embiid and Maxey combined for 69 points in Game 2 but the rest of the team didn’t contribute significantly. The only other player who scored in double digits was Tobias Harris with just 10 points. Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr., Buddy Hield, and Nicolas Batum all must step up or this series will end quickly!