Tom Thibodeau was benched for three players Saturday night, and the trio swung the game in the Knicks’ favor in their series-opening win over the 76ers.
The trio of Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride and Bojan Bogdanovic outscored Philadelphia’s bench 26-7 at the halfway mark of the first half and won the game 42-7, giving the Knicks a 111-104 victory at the Garden. lead.
Perhaps more important than his offensive output was Robinson’s impressive work defensively, including several minutes defending reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
The former starting center received multiple standing ovations from the MSG crowd, including getting the jump ball for Embiid’s game-tying goal late in the fourth quarter.
The 40 percent free throw shooter caused another stir when he sank a pair from the stripe with 37.1 seconds left.
Robinson, who averaged 15.5 minutes in the final 10 games of the season after ankle surgery in December, came off the bench for 14 consecutive minutes, spanning the first two quarters and the entire final period.
The 7-footer had eight points, 12 rebounds (seven offensive), plus-20 and four blocked shots in 30 minutes.
This was his longest playing time since he logged 32 minutes on December 1st.
Robinson threw down a key dunk, had two blocks in the first half and departed to a standing ovation, replacing starter Isaiah Hartenstein with about two minutes left.
In addition to Robinson’s impact, McBride scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half and Bogdanovic scored eight of his 23 points in his Knicks playoff debut.
The duo combined for six 3-pointers in the first half and 8 of 13 from deep, helping the Knicks win the second set 33-12 with 13 points in the first quarter. Turned the hole into a 12 point halftime. lead.
Still, Embiid returned to the starting lineup for the third goal after limping back to the locker room late just before halftime on his surgically repaired knee.
The Sixers shook the Knicks’ starting five to third at 32-14 and regained the lead, then Robinson, McBride and Bogdanovic returned to the floor with about three minutes left, giving the Knicks a six-point lead.
Bogdanovic made another trey to tie the score at 82-82, then Robinson tipped in just one minute into the fourth and McBride drove to the hoop to give the Knicks a two-run lead with less than eight minutes left. .
McBride also made his fifth straight 3-pointer of the night, giving the Knicks a 91-86 advantage after midway through the quarter.
