Donte DiVincenzo’s confidence and importance to the Knicks was little deterred by a fourth-quarter benching in Game 1.
The starting shooting guard bounced back from a quiet performance in the series opener by scoring 19 points and hitting four 3-pointers in 37 minutes — including a triple with 13.1 seconds left after missing one earlier in possession – as the Knicks took a 2-0 lead over the Sixers at the Garden.
“It was huge. It was very loud in there,” DiVincenzo said after the game. “Honestly, after missing the first one, I was really, really, really hoping that Isaiah (Hartenstein) would get (the offensive rebound) because I knew the rotation of everything, I was going to get a second look. (Luckily) he got the offensive rebound.
DiVincenzo hadn’t shot well in the first game, finishing 3 of 10 with eight points and a minus-23 mark in 24 three-quarter minutes before sitting on the bench for the entire fourth.
Asked before the game what he expected from DiVincenzo following a poor offensive performance, Tom Thibodeau replied: “It’s normal.”
“The fact is he’s also a great teammate. And that’s what all these guys are,” Thibodeau said afterward. “So everyone wants to play, everyone wants to get their minutes and finish, but you would have to sacrifice yourself and put the team first, so some nights it’s someone else.
“Whatever gives us the best chance of winning is the one we want everyone to be involved in.”
After the Knicks spotted Philly with a 9-0 lead for the second straight game Monday night, DiVincenzo hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter to help them settle into the game.
He was also fouled and then shoved by Sixers center Joel Embiid with just five minutes left in the second quarter, hitting both free throws and technical with the crowd loudly giving Embiid the treatment Trae Young with his first of many “Fk Embiid”. songs.
Josh Hart then capped a fabulous first half with 19 points and nine rebounds to bring the Knicks within four at halftime.
DiVincenzo was again fouled on a drive to the bucket directly on a jump ball early in the third and made two more free throws, before drawing the Knicks inside one with another basket at close range.
After DiVincenzo shot Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris, Jalen Brunson hit a short shot off the glass to give the Knicks their first lead of the game, 68-67, with 4:00 left in the third.
Still, Philly led 105-100 with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth before Brunson — who otherwise endured his second straight poor shooting game (8-for-29) — got a fortuitous rebound on a corner 3.
After a steal from Hart, DiVincenzo launched one from beyond the arc, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed an offensive rebound and DiVincenzo drilled the go-ahead shot, earning chants of his last name from the crowd during his interview with MSG Network.
“I felt bad after missing the first one, to be quite honest,” DiVincenzo said. “I was hoping Isaiah would get the offensive rebound, just because I knew I was going to get a second opportunity.
“We practice this every day: the 3 daggers and the 3 of second chances. So once OG (Anunoby) got it (from Hartenstein), I just took my feet, trusted the work I did and luckily it fell through.
New York Post
