76ers might regret not stealing Game 1 against the Knicks

While the Philadelphia 76ers survived an injury scare with reigning MVP Joel Embiid, they didn't win the war on Saturday against the New York Knicks, falling 111-104 in a Game 1 contest which they may regret letting slip away. 

Philly looked sharp early behind a motivated Embiid, that is until the star left the game briefly after tweaking his surgically repaired left knee following a thunderous dunk late in the first half. 

Embiid ultimately returned to start the second half, but the tide had swung in favor of the Knicks, who outscored the Sixers 33-12 in the second quarter to take a 58-46 lead into halftime. Philly made a run in the second half but never fully recovered and fell further behind when Embiid took a breather. Overall, the 76ers were plus 14 points in the 36 minutes Embiid was on the floor and a putrid minus 21 points in 12 minutes without him. 

The Sixers received a gutsy 29-point effort from Embiid and strong games from Tyrese Maxey (33 points) and Kyle Lowry (18 points). But, they alone couldn't overcome a poor night from Tobias Harris, who finished with seven points (3-of-7), only seven points from the entire bench and being out-rebounded by the Knicks, 55-33, 23 of which were offensive boards. 

On the other side, the Knicks' leading scorers on Saturday – guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart – combined for 44 points. Each shot poorly from the field, though, with Brunson finishing 8-of-26 and Hart just 5-of-12. New York shot only 39.6% as a team, well below their season average (46%). Neither is likely to happen again. 

Simply put, the Sixers can't expect the Knicks to shoot as poorly as they did on Saturday. Furthermore, if they can't withstand Embiid's moments on the bench and improve under the boards, this could have the makings of a very short first-round series. 

Adding insult to injury is how Game 1 ended, essentially with the Sixers waiving the white flag despite trailing by only five points with time still left on the fourth-quarter clock.