Even without their lineup at full strength, the New York Knicks are showing they are on a different level than the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will try to sweep their best-of-seven second-round playoff series when they visit the Sixers in Game 4 on Sunday.
New York, the No. 3 seed, is looking to reach back-to-back Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1999-2000. The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in last year’s conference finals and are determined to make amends for that setback despite currently playing without one of their top performers.
Versatile New York forward OG Anunoby (hamstring) missed Game 3 and will be a game-time decision for Game 4. Without him, Brunson scored a team-high 33 points and dished out nine assists in Friday’s 108-94 win, while Mikal Bridges pitched in 23 points.
“It was definitely a team effort,” Brunson said. “Obviously, we want everyone back healthy. But it was important for everyone to step up and have the right mindset — to do whatever you gotta do to win.”
Philadelphia, the No. 7 seed, pulled a first-round upset against the Boston Celtics but appears to be running out of gas in this series. The Sixers’ stars are all playing heavy minutes and the team has wilted in the fourth quarter in back-to-back games.
In Game 3, Philadelphia managed only 18 points in the fourth quarter, while shooting 35.0% from the floor in the closing 12 minutes. Two days earlier, the 76ers totaled 12 fourth-quarter points on 21.1% shooting in the period of a 108-102 setback at New York.
Now, the Sixers will try to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
“You add a game to it,” Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey said of the looming task. “We had to win three in a row (in the first round against Boston) and now we’re going to have to win four in a row. It’s still a great challenge. You’ve got to go do it. Either you don’t play with any pride and you get swept on your home floor in the second round of the playoffs, or you play with some pride and you win one game at a time.”
Philadelphia hopes that Joel Embiid (ankle/hip) will be ready to take the court for Game 4. The Sixers’ center missed Game 2 and returned for Game 3, where he registered 18 points in 35 minutes. However, he only managed six rebounds as Philadelphia was clobbered 49-33 on the boards.
“We know what he’s going through,” said Sixers wing Paul George, who poured in 15 first-quarter points but didn’t score again. “We know how tough it is on his body and the work he’s putting in to get prepared to try to come out and play. We appreciate it. I think the fans appreciate it, Philadelphia appreciates it. It means a lot to see 21 suited up and giving it a go.”
Whether or not Embiid or Anunoby can play, the Knicks will lean into their trademark intensity. That aggressiveness has led them within one win of the conference finals.
“That’s just what our identity is,” said New York forward Josh Hart, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3. “We continue to give something game after game and that’s energy. That’s what we strive to have, that energy, that physicality, that attention to detail and focus.
“We try to have that every game. We need to do that game after game after game.”
