New York Knicks out-hustle Philadelphia 76ers 97-92 as New York goes up 3-1 in series
The New York Knicks managed to steal one in the Wells Fargo Center. New York defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 97-92 and now has a 3-1 lead in a series that very well may be already decided. The Knicks have a chance to close it out in game five on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden on TNT.
New York’s offensive rebounding and Philadelphia’s lack of bench production have been two storylines that ultimately decided the series up to this point. These two major struggles came together in a nightmarish fashion in the fourth quarter where the 76ers scored just 16 points, tallied six total bench points, and ended up allowing 15 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points in total. Here is what I saw:
Joel Embiid and Jalen Brunson star as 76ers control first quarter
Off the jump, the Knicks looked to exploit Joel Embiid’s lack of mobility by spamming pick-and-rolls with Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein. Kelly Oubre Jr. struggled to recover from hard screens set by Hartenstein as Brunson turned the corner and scored New York’s first eight points from the mid-range and perimeter against Embiid, who sagged off in drop coverage.
While Brunson feasted in the mid-range, the 76ers dominated in the restricted area scoring 16 points in the paint in the first quarter. Joel Embiid played a huge role in Philadelphia’s interior presence tallying ten points, six rebounds, and four assists in the first 12 minutes of action.
Embiid went right at Hartenstein off dribble drives and post-ups, but also used double teams that came his way to the 76ers’ advantage as he found a back-cutting Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tobias Harris, something Embiid has excelled at throughout the series. New York truly had no answer for Embiid as he countered double coverage with witty passes and out-muscled Hartenstein one-on-one. With Embiid developing a knack for passing in the postseason, it makes him virtually impossible to contain.
Outside of Brunson, the Knicks struggled to find their offensive identity, as Brunson scored 12 of New York’s 17 points in the opening frame. Joel Embiid’s rim presence and Philadelphia’s collective quick rotations, especially by Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Nico Batum, played a huge role in containing Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, who shot a combined 0-6 in the first quarter, amongst others.Â
De’Anthony Melton also made a brief cameo in the first quarter, notching his first minutes of action since April 12th against the Orlando Magic. Melton was listed as available for game three but did not log any minutes as Nick Nurse rode the hot hand in Cam Payne. Melton was not listed on the injury report heading into today’s game and recorded two minutes of play in the quarter where he contributed a rebound and an assist.
76ers and Knicks trade punches in second quarter
The Knicks went on an 8-2 run where all of their points came from the restricted area. Paul Reed struggled against the size of Isaiah Hartenstein, who bulldozed through Reed and got multiple easy buckets in the paint. OG Anunoby forcefully attacked closeouts while Jalen Brunson slithered to the rim off the dribble, maneuvering past Kelly Oubre Jr. with ease.Â
Even with Joel Embiid promptly returning to the floor, the Knicks still managed to outscore Philadelphia 19-5 midway into the second period and obtain their first lead since very early in the first quarter. Although Mitchell Robinson (ankle) is a significant loss for New York, Precious Achiuwa’s agility and length blew up the 76ers’ pick-and-rolls as Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry forced contested shots in the paint and Achiuwa forced Maxey into a difficult shot off a switch.
The 76ers still managed to regain the lead at intermission as Philadelphia knocked down a series of critical threes that were made possible by Maxey’s spot-up shooting and playmaking abilities. The all-star guard recorded ten points and two assists in the second period. Maxey being able to temporarily take over games has once again served the 76ers well in crucial moments as it did in game three.
Once more, the Knicks struggled to find a source of offense from anyone not named Jalen Brunson with Joel Embiid safeguarding the restricted area. Embiid’s drop coverage and help rotations down low ended New York’s temporary paint dominance they had early in the quarter and made things difficult for OG Anunoby, especially in the closing minutes. Brunson accounted for 23 of the Knicks’ 47 points at halftime.
Jalen Brunson’s heroics withstand big 76ers run in third quarter
The 76ers opened up the second half on a 10-2 run highlighted by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey’s superb ability to play off of each other. Maxey had Isaiah Hartenstein off a switch from a pick-and-roll with Embiid and had no problem scoring over him. Maxey then drew defenders and created a spot-up mid-range shot for Embiid, who then rewarded Maxey with a beautiful skip pass as Maxey attacked the closeout and got to the rim.
Maxey’s dynamic play on and off the ball and Embiid’s improved passing have elevated the two-man game to new heights in the postseason. Maxey’s aggressiveness off the point-of-attack has remained consistent throughout games three and four and it’s been the key to multiple Philadelphia runs this series.
Philadelphia had chance after chance to extend their lead to dominant heights, but unforced turnovers, mostly from Joel Embiid, routinely killed their momentum. The 76ers recorded five turnovers midway into the third quarter, with Embiid responsible for three of them. Philadelphia’s hot shooting quickly turned ice cold, and Embiid drawing contact became their only reliable source of offense.Â
The Knicks’ non-Brunson offensive woes continued, but Brunson’s star ability to score in the mid-range off the dribble and snake his way into his hot spots off screens prevented the 76ers from cracking the game open. New York slowly but surely chipped away at Philadelphia’s 10-point lead as Donte DiVincenzo caught fire, hitting a pair of threes and a layup off an inbounds play, scoring eight points in the quarter. Brunson’s 38 points and 10 assists heading into the final frame gave the Knicks a one-point lead.
76ers get dominated off the glass in the fourth quarter
Just when matters looked rough for the 76ers, Cam Payne once again provided a pivotal spark off the bench scoring Philadelphia’s first five points of the period. Payne got to the rim over DiVincenzo off the dribble then cashed in an above-the-break pull-up three. Lack of bench production has been a massive storyline for the 76ers in this series, and after recording DNPs in the first two games, Payne has been a critical part of Philadelphia’s rotation.
OG Anunoby then proved his value as a two-way player as he was assigned to be Joel Embiid’s primary defender with Isaiah Hartenstein on the bench. He withstood Embiid’s physicality with ease and forced him into tough shots and kickouts with aid from help defenders. Anunoby led New York to a 9-3 run taking Tobias Harris off the dribble (like Jalen Brunson also has) and back-cutting for a tough finish after the Knicks snared consecutive offensive rebounds in an effort led by Josh Hart.
Tyrese Maxey’s rim pressure was Philadelphia’s saving grace. He routinely got to the rim off the bounce and scored, as well as creating offense for a back-cutting Kelly Oubre Jr., who had been a force as a slasher throughout the game. However, the 76ers’ inability to rebound the ball, whether it be getting out-hustled or fumbling the ball, plagued their effort to retain the lead.Â
With Joel Embiid playing the entire second half, he was visibly gassed, which only made New York’s offensive rebounding dominance more prominent as the star center struggled to box out. Embiid struggled to handle double coverage as he did in earlier stages of the game forcing tough shots and making untimely decisions. Paul Reed had his struggles in the first half, but playing Embiid the full 24 minutes was a costly decision as evident in the guts of the game. It might’ve been worth it to attempt to survive with Paul Reed on the floor for a few minutes or give Mo Bamba some run if that meant Embiid getting a sliver of needed rest.
Philadelphia’s rebounding effort grossly worsened as crunch time dragged on with Anunoby and others relentlessly attacking the offensive glass. When the 76ers did have possession of the ball, New York aggressively doubled Embiid and Maxey on every touch, and their aggressive traps forced anyone besides Philadelphia’s star duo to beat them, and it worked like a charm. The 76ers’ supporting cast set for contested threes and there was little off-ball motion or ball movement down the stretch, playing right into New York’s hand.
The 76ers had a chance to make things interesting with 27.1 left in the game where New York was up 95-91. Joel Embiid pump-faked a fairly open baseline shot and attempted to take it to the rim, but misfired as multiple Knicks defenders swarmed him. From then on, the 76ers played the foul game as New York sealed Philadelphia’s postseason fate free throw by free throw.
Mandatory Credit: (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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