76ers Playoff Watch: Upset in Atlanta, Beatdown at The Garden

After the Philadelphia 76ers took a 3-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets on the road Thursday night, the Boston Celtics became the second team in the Eastern Conference to have a 3-0 lead teed up for them on Friday night.

During their first two games against the Atlanta Hawks, everything went just about how everybody expected. Boston took commanding leads and came out on top with two-straight convincing victories. On Friday, Atlanta found themselves with home-court advantage for the first time in the series.

As it turns out, the Celtics are human, after all. Fighting for their postseason life, the Hawks weren’t ready to be pinned with their backs against the wall at 0-3. A combined 57-point effort from Atlanta’s backcourt of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young helped the Hawks propel past the Celtics for the first time this season.

In a high-scoring matchup, the Hawks outscored the Celtics 130-122. While Atlanta still trails in the series, they set themselves up for a potential tie at two when they reunite at State Farm Arena for the fourth matchup of the series.

Beatdown At The Garden

Although the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2022-2023 season ranked higher than the New York Knicks, the Jalen Brunson-led squad had found plenty of success against the Cavs throughout the regular season.

In Game 1 of the first-round series, the Knicks proved that their 3-1 record over Cleveland during the regular season was no fluke as they stole the first outing on the road.

Fortunately for Cleveland, they managed to bounce back in Game 2, securing a 107-90 victory in front of their home fans.

Tying the series up at one was a good sign for the Cavaliers, but the series didn’t get much easier for them as they were set to hit the road to play at Madison Square Garden’s first NBA Playoff matchup since the 2021 postseason.

The Knicks took advantage of the high-energy atmosphere that was in favor of them. A 10-18, 21-point scoring effort from Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks. Additionally, a highly-efficient shooting outing from RJ Barrett helped give New York a notable boost in a low-scoring matchup.

By the end of Friday night’s battle at The Garden, the Knicks secured a comfortable 99-79 win. Just like that, the Knicks are out in front with a 2-1 lead over the Cavaliers.

Eastern Conference Scoreboard

1. Bucks vs. 8. Heat — Series Tied 1-1

2. Celtics vs. 7. Hawks — Celtics Lead 2-1

3. Sixers vs. 6. Nets — Sixers Lead 3-0

4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Knicks — Knicks 2-1

Next Up for 76ers:

The Philadelphia 76ers will visit the Brooklyn Nets for Game 4 on Saturday night.