The Philadelphia 76ers are facing a major frontcourt crisis after narrowly avoiding running out of centers in Wednesday night's 108-102 Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks. With superstar Joel Embiid's status listed as day-to-day due to injury, the issue looms large as the series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4.

Andre Drummond, who started in Embiid's place, found himself in foul trouble from the opening tip. The veteran big man entered the fourth quarter with four fouls while trying to contain Karl-Anthony Towns, who has emerged as a dominant force for the Knicks. To make matters worse, reserve center Adem Bona picked up his fifth foul with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, leaving the Sixers' bench dangerously thin.

With his center rotation in shambles, head coach Nick Nurse was forced to get creative. He asked 6-foot-8 forward Paul George to defend the 7-foot Towns, who responded with a near-triple-double: 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists on 6-for-8 shooting, including a three-pointer. Nurse also turned to 6-foot-8 forward Dominick Barlow, who had averaged just under nine minutes per game this postseason but logged 16 minutes in Game 2.

The defensive breakdowns were evident throughout the night. Drummond struggled to contain Towns' point-of-attack drives, which repeatedly collapsed Philadelphia's defense. Bona, a second-year reserve, was caught reaching in too often while defending Towns, leading to foul trouble that forced Nurse to rely on Barlow, George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. to close out the game.

The underlying issue, however, is Embiid's health. The big man played in Game 1 after being listed as probable with a right hip contusion, but the team ruled him out during Wednesday's shootaround after he woke up with significant ankle soreness. "No, I mean, listen, he's really disappointed," Nurse said pregame. "He really wants to be out there. He has been doing—I mean I said this before—but coming back from that appendectomy so quickly was not easy for him to do. He's worked extremely hard to get back."

If Embiid is unable to suit up for more games in this series, Nurse will need to find a way to defend a Knicks star big man who is finally hitting his stride as a focal point of New York's offense. For a team that prides itself on interior defense, the center depth chart is suddenly looking very thin—and that's a problem that won't go away anytime soon.