Embiid is out.

Joel Embiid is out for Game 2 at Madison Square Garden tonight with a right ankle injury and right hip injury. The 76ers ruled him out Wednesday afternoon, hours before the 7 PM ET tipoff on TNT. It's a brutal blow to a team that's already down 0-1 after losing Game 1 by 39 — Philadelphia's worst playoff loss in franchise history.

Embiid played just 24 minutes in Game 1, scoring 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting. He's been managing knee, ankle, and hip issues all postseason and admitted after Game 1 he's "not 100%." Without him, the Sixers will lean on Tyrese Maxey (who scored 24 in Game 1) and the recently extended Paul George, who was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting in the opener.

The Knicks, meanwhile, look like a team in lockstep. Jalen Brunson dropped 27 in the first half of Game 1 alone, finished with 35, and New York shot 61% from the field and 51% from three. They're now the first team in NBA history to win three consecutive playoff games by 25 or more points. Stephen A. Smith said on First Take that the Knicks "look destined for the Finals." If Embiid's Game 2 absence turns into a longer absence, that prediction starts to feel like a guarantee.