The New York Knicks survived a back-and-forth thriller in Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers and hung on for a 108-102 home win to take a 2-0 series lead in this Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 26 points, OG Anunoby, who wasn’t on the court or bench in the game’s final minutes, had 24, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Knicks. In a game that featured 14 ties and 25 lead changes, New York shut it down in winning time, holding Philadelphia to 12 fourth-quarter points on 4-for-19 shooting.

Playing without star Joel Embiid, the Sixers got a more balanced scoring effort with a team-high 26 points from Tyrese Maxey, 19 points apiece from Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr., and 17 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. But the Sixers committed 18 turnovers, leading to 23 Knicks points.

Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday at Philadelphia.

Knicks successfully slow Maxey

The New York Knicks played the long game with Philadelphia 76ers guard Maxey.

New York tossed out one-on-one defense with the length of Mikal Bridges, mixed in the strength of Josh Hart and then spent much of the second half blitzing the quick guard in the pick-and-roll. The Knicks dared Philadelphia’s others to beat them and they couldn’t, as the 76ers went ice cold in the fourth quarter in the loss.

Maxey has looked exhausted in the first two games of the series and scored just five points in the second half after scoring 19 in the game’s first 24 minutes. Maxey didn’t look interested in trying to aggressively beat the blitz and was fine making the right basketball play by passing to his open teammates. Those teammates didn’t help him out in the second half.

It’s hard to see how the 76ers win a game in this series. New York’s defense has been tremendous in these playoffs and Maxey doesn’t have someone else who can take the burden off of him as a playmaker — especially with  Embiid’s status for the rest of this series being up in the air. George has been an excellent jump shooter through two games but he’s not attacking the basket. Edgecombe, too, has been good, but New York is OK betting on the rookie falling short in pressure situations.

This feels like a sweep on the horizon if Maxey can be contained and Embiid isn’t able to give it a real go. — James Edwards III, Knicks beat writer

Is OG OK?

Wednesday night brought one of Anunoby’s worst shooting performances of the playoffs. The man who has been on fire since the Knicks first tipped off against the Atlanta Hawks shot a ghastly — nay, a pathetic — 53 percent from the field. Eight missed shots out of 17. While going for a paltry 24 points to go with elite defense. What horror. Horror that became only more extreme with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the game.

Anunoby jogged back up the court and asked for a substitution. He was walking with a limp. He headed to the bench and then went to the locker room. Shortly after the game, the Knicks had not said the ailment or why he departed. And so, after a win that put the team up 2-0, only two victories away from a second consecutive Eastern Conference finals appearance, the main question isn’t about the basketball. It’s not about Anunoby dropping to that unacceptable 53 percent shooting. (For real, what kind of peasant shoots even a hair worse than 80 percent?) It’s about Anunoby’s health. Is the heart of the Knicks defense, the player who has been New York’s top playoff performer, healthy or not? — Fred Katz, Senior NBA writer

Fatigue catches up with Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers found something with Dominick Barlow minutes at center. But the New York Knicks continue to prove they are a different challenge than the Boston Celtics. By Game 2 of that series, the Sixers had some things in their collective pockets that worked. They are still searching after two games against the Knicks.

Mainly, they haven’t found much that works against Brunson, who has done almost anything he’s wanted in this series offensively. They haven’t found much that has worked against Towns, either.

Even in a 2-0 series deficit, Philadelphia has life, until it loses a game in the home confines of Xfinity Mobile Arena. But, with the series in an every-other-day format, Philadelphia fatigued significantly down the stretch of Game 2.

There is a serious question as to whether or not the 76ers are going to have the energy to get back into the series, particularly if star center Embiid can’t fully regain his health. With how well Philadelphia played in Game 2, and how well the Sixers shot the ball offensively, not coming up with a win is something that will need to be recovered from, mentally, as well as physically. For Philly, it makes Game 3 the most important game of their season. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer 

Points stop falling for Philly in fourth quarter

The Philadelphia 76ers made Game 2 a tight one, riding an early shooting streak from 3. But the offense petered out late with just 12 fourth-quarter points. The game made it clear that they can stick with the Knicks for a game, but to make it a series, they’re going to have to figure out the last leg issue. Neither Maxey (26 points) nor George (19) or  Edgecombe (17) could get something going to give them the pop they needed out. The Knicks owned the paint for most of the game and Philadelphia’s 3-point shots stopped falling. Head coach Nick Nurse and co. have time before Game 3 to see if they can get some extra juice. — Mike Vorkunov, National NBA writer