Although Embiid's individual offense remained efficient, the Knicks were clearly playing better team basketball with Chen drawing the defense.
That allowed the score to remain close.
The 76ers still couldn't close the gap.
Embiid's individual ability had its limits, after all.
Even if he was truly in great form tonight, he would still run into stamina issues. That was an inevitable challenge for a big man of his size.
Chen was different.
For one thing, he was naturally in great shape. For another, he hadn't spent much energy on offense early in the second quarter. Most of the time, after initiating the play, he'd focused on drawing the defense and making the secondary read.
That was far less exhausting than Big Butt's approach of repeatedly backing down defenders one-on-one beneath the basket.
And that would become a major factor in determining how the first half ultimately unfolded.
Before long, the second quarter had reached the seven-minute mark.
The starters from both teams gradually returned to the floor during dead-ball opportunities.
For Embiid, the best part was that Maxey was back.
With another ball handler and scoring option on the perimeter, he could get more rest during the game.
But the bad news was that Chen was about to enter Scoring Mode again!
Play resumed after Philadelphia called a timeout with 7:13 left in the second quarter.
The 76ers had possession.
Maxey brought the ball across half court and initiated the offense from the top of the key. Using a Pick-and-Roll Screen, he got around Chen Xi to find Rose, then used his speed to drive hard into the paint before passing to Bojan in the corner.
Bojan's corner three went straight in.
The score was now 53–57.
Then it was the Knicks' turn to attack.
Rose brought the ball