PHILADELPHIA — Isaiah Hartenstein’s neck was covered in scratches worthy of a raccoon attack.
The Sixers, and Joel Embiid in particular, completely challenged the heels of WWE with two groin shots, a double-legged takedown, and an eye slap from Kyle Lowry.
Somewhere along the way, Hartenstein was scratched by nails on his neck and chest.
And as Hartenstein sat at his locker Thursday night, all he had to show for it was the 125-114 loss, the 50-point gem he scored against the opponent he was defending, And it was just persistent foul trouble.
“The biggest thing is the free throws,” Hartenstein said, noting that Embiid went 19-for-21 from the stripe while serving 50 burgers. “That gives him a rhythm. He made six threes. Most of them were contested. So sometimes you just have to live with it. But he plays more team defense. Just being more physical and keeping him away from the foul line where he can find his rhythm.”
Defending Embiid is already a difficult task for the Knicks, often depending on the condition of his surgically repaired knee, the sensibilities of the referees, or the center’s reaction to an apparent bout of Bell’s palsy.
But now it’s very likely, and maybe even, that the Knicks will have to contend with the reigning MVP without their backup center and biggest body, Mitchell Robinson.
He left Wells Fargo Center wearing a walking boot on his surgically repaired left ankle and survived Embiid’s takedown unscathed, but injured the joint on the ensuing play.
Robinson’s ankle has been fragile since he returned in late March after missing 50 games, and he was listed as “questionable” before he started limping on the court Thursday.
A Knicks publicist escorted Robinson out of the arena, but Tom Thibodeau did not have an update.
“I haven’t talked to the medicals,” the coach said.
Embiid could have been thrown twice for a dirty play.
He pulled Robinson off the ground in the first quarter and became Flagrant 1 despite his strong claims to be Flagrant 2 — then kicked Robinson in the groin while taking a jumper (ignored). Ta).
Embiid stayed in the game and dominated the third quarter, and Robinson wore a walking boot.
“It’s always difficult to [Robinson’s] It’s out,” Hartenstein said. “Together, I think we’re probably the best center duo in the league right now.”
Without Robinson, the Knicks will have to rely on two more things.
1) Hartenstein managed Achilles pain and remained on the court for much of the regular season.
During this series, he primarily split time with Robinson, but had to play an extra game due to foul trouble in Game 3.
His push floater worked well, scoring 14 points in 26 minutes, but stopping Embiid became an issue, and with Hartenstein on the floor, the Knicks were outscored by 24 points.
Hartenstein was also kneed in the groin by Embiid, which hurt even more because of Embiid’s restraints.
“Rather, there was something in his knee, either his brace or something sharp, primarily,” Hartenstein said. “I don’t think he did anything outrageous. There was just something in his knee brace that hurt me. At the end of the day, I don’t think it was that bad. did not.”
2) Valuable step up of Achiuwa.
Achuyiwa, who was removed from the eight-man rotation before the series, was introduced in the second half and played well defensively, but committed three fouls in just 10 minutes.
Achiuwa is not an ideal opponent for Embiid. That’s because he’s small and more of a power forward than a center.
However, he is quick enough to cause problems for Embiid on the perimeter and is easy for Sixers backup center Paul Reed to deal with.
Either way, Achuyiwa and Hartenstein will be fully motivated.
Both players will be free agents after the season.
Embiid still has time left on his contract, but he’s fighting for his legacy and didn’t flinch from the Knicks or the referees in Game 2.
He set the tone with a shot to the groin and no one stopped him.
“They want to bring physicality. We can be physical, and we are,” Embiid said. “So it goes both ways.”
Now it’s up to the Knicks to respond.
“You’ve got to come Sunday and throw the first punch right from the start, and you’ve got to keep throwing it,” Miles McBride said.
