Knicks-Sixers: 5 takeaways from dramatic Recreation 4 – NBA.com

New York constructs Jalen Brunson's historic night time, owns the glass and places Philadelphia getting ready to elimination.
John Schuhmann
Jalen Brunson shined with a playoff career-high 47 factors because the Knicks take a 3-1 lead within the collection over the 76ers.
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The New York Knicks are 22-3 after they’ve had each Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby within the lineup.
They had been two of the 5 gamers who performed greater than 43 minutes of Recreation 4 of the Knicks’ first-round series in opposition to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, and so they had their fingerprints throughout New York’s 97-92 victory.
Brunson scored 47 factors, a brand new Knicks playoff report, topping two 46-point performances from Bernard King in 1984. He additionally dished out 10 assists with just one turnover.
Anunoby added 16 factors, 14 rebounds and three blocks whereas additionally taking part in some vital protection on Joel Embiid.
Listed here are some numbers, notes and movie because the Knicks took a 3-1 collection lead…
1. Knicks, Brunson goal Embiid
Based on Second Spectrum monitoring, the Knicks set 52 ball screens for Brunson, with 35 of these 52 ball screens being set by the man Embiid was guarding. So whereas the crew’s two MVPs weren’t guarding one another, this recreation was very a lot Brunson vs. Embiid on the Knicks’ finish of the ground.
It began with Embiid in drop protection, defending the rim and (if Brunson’s defender acquired caught within the display) permitting Brunson to step into comfy bounce photographs.

Generally Embiid was greater and Brunson was capable of put him on his heels…

That “on the stage” protection can generally present a runway for the roll man, however Embiid was twice capable of recuperate and contest or block a layup try by the Knicks’ bigs.
Ultimately, Brunson acquired the higher of Embiid. He did rating 47 factors, in any case. Probably the most spectacular of these 47 was a loopy, fading runner throughout his physique on the shot clock buzzer after Embiid was pressured to change…

A couple of minutes later, Embiid was properly past the 3-point line and acquired caught on the mistaken facet of the display as Brunson drove for a layup to place the Knicks up three with somewhat greater than 5 minutes left.
Philly clearly must do a greater job of getting the ball out of Brunson’s arms, and having Embiid guard pick-and-rolls extra aggressively will not be the answer. Will probably be as much as the opposite Sixers to navigate these screens higher and be prepared to assist off Brunson’s teammates.
2. Knicks proceed to dominate the glass
These New York teammates had been simply 5-for-19 from 3-point vary on Sunday, however are nonetheless 40-for-98 (41%) from past the arc on the collection.
Sending assist to the ball additionally leaves a protection weak on the glass, and the Knicks as soon as once more punished the Sixers with offensive rebounds …
Greater than half (11) of these second-chance factors got here within the fourth quarter. And people 11 second-chance factors accounted for greater than half of the Knicks’ 20 factors within the interval. It was a one-point recreation after the third quarter and it was an ugly fourth, with the 2 groups combining to shoot 12-for-45 (27%).
When the sphere objective share is a bit more than half the league common, rebounding is nearly twice as vital. The winner on Sunday was the higher rebounding crew.
Within the first spherical in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers final yr, the Knicks retained 39.4% of available offensive boards, the best fee for any crew in any collection in 10 years. Their offensive rebounding share on this collection (38.9%) is simply a tick decrease than that.
3. Defending Embiid will not be a one-man job
The Knicks had been with out Mitchell Robinson, who re-injured his ankle in Recreation 3. After committing zero fouls within the first half, Hartenstein picked up 5 within the third quarter, which put Valuable Achiuwa on the courtroom for the ultimate 13:25.
However he didn’t guard Embiid over that stretch. That job belonged to the 6-foot-8 Anunoby, although he had loads of assist.
“Embiid is a load,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau stated afterward. “You’re not guarding him individually. You gotta guard him together with your crew.”
The Sixers’ execution in opposition to double-teams was a combined bag. There have been possessions within the third quarter the place Tyrese Maxey shot too quickly or Kelly Oubre Jr. stopped the ball as a substitute of swinging it to a wide-open teammate.
They did get a pair good photographs out of the double halfway by way of the fourth. Down three, Kyle Lowry swung the ball to Maxey, who attacked the seam within the Knicks’ protection and located Oubre underneath the basket for a dunk…

Maxey then missed a wide-open 3 on the following possession when the Knicks’ first rotation was late (and coming from too distant).
4. Knicks drive Sixers to play late within the clock
That Oubre dunk with 5:04 left was the Sixers’ final subject objective. The Knicks allowed that open Maxey 3 on the following possession, however their protection was significantly better after that.
It began with maintaining the Sixers from moving into their offense. With the Knicks nonetheless up three and somewhat greater than three minutes left, Philly tried to get Brunson switched onto Maxey. However Brunson and Miles McBride (with somewhat assist from Achiuwa) didn’t let it occur…

When the Sixers lastly acquired the change, there have been simply 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Brunson was capable of comprise Maxey’s preliminary drive, McBride got here again with a double-team, Anunoby rotated and scared Lowry off a 3-pointer, and Achiuwa rotated to dam Embiid’s 3-pointer because the shot clock expired…

On the following possession, there have been eight seconds left on the clock earlier than the Sixers acquired what they wished (an Embiid put up catch), as a result of Anunoby initially saved the massive man from utilizing an Oubre display. The Knicks doubled Embiid, Achiuwa rotated as much as Maxey, saved him out of the paint (as the opposite Knicks stayed dwelling on shooters), and compelled him into a tough, step-back jumper that got here up approach brief.
5. Knicks double, scramble and contest
The Sixers had been nonetheless down simply 4 when Lowry rebounded an Oubre miss. He instantly acquired the ball to Embiid on the left facet of the ground with 11 seconds left on the shot clock. As soon as once more, the Knicks introduced a double-team.
As soon as once more, New York’s rotations had been terrific, with Josh Hart making an excellent contest on Tobias Harris’ nook 3-point try…

At that time within the recreation, Anunoby had performed greater than 45 minutes, Hart had performed greater than 44 and Brunson had performed greater than 42. However the Knicks’ defensive power was nonetheless pretty much as good because it will get.
After scoring 125 factors on simply 91 possessions (137 per 100) in Recreation 3, the Sixers had simply 92 on 91 in Recreation 4, together with simply 16 on 21 (76 per 100) within the fourth quarter.
That 22-3 report that the Knicks have with each Brunson and Anunoby features a 13-0 mark at Madison Sq. Backyard, the place they will finish this collection in Recreation 5 on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, TNT).

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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You’ll be able to e-mail him here, discover his archive here and follow him on X. 
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