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

New York constructs Jalen Brunson's historic evening, 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 sequence over the 76ers.
• Download the NBA App
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, they usually 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 enjoying some vital protection on Joel Embiid.
Listed here are some numbers, notes and movie because the Knicks took a 3-1 sequence lead…
1. Knicks, Brunson goal Embiid
In response to 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 obtained caught within the display) permitting Brunson to step into snug bounce pictures.

Typically Embiid was greater and Brunson was in a position to put him on his heels…

That “on the stage” protection can typically present a runway for the roll man, however Embiid was twice in a position to get better and contest or block a layup try by the Knicks’ bigs.
In the long run, Brunson obtained the higher of Embiid. He did rating 47 factors, in spite of everything. Essentially the most spectacular of these 47 was a loopy, fading runner throughout his physique on the shot clock buzzer after Embiid was pressured to modify…

A couple of minutes later, Embiid was nicely past the 3-point line and obtained caught on the improper aspect of the display as Brunson drove for a layup to place the Knicks up three with a bit of greater than 5 minutes left.
Philly clearly must do a greater job of getting the ball out of Brunson’s palms, and having Embiid guard pick-and-rolls extra aggressively will not be the answer. It is going to 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 sequence.
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 sector objective proportion is a bit more than half the league common, rebounding is sort of twice as essential. The winner on Sunday was the higher rebounding crew.
Within the first spherical in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers final 12 months, the Knicks retained 39.4% of available offensive boards, the very best price for any crew in any sequence in 10 years. Their offensive rebounding proportion on this sequence (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 Treasured Achiuwa on the court docket 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 mentioned 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 blended 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 pictures out of the double halfway by 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 subsequent 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 discipline objective. The Knicks allowed that open Maxey 3 on the subsequent possession, however their protection was significantly better after that.
It began with protecting the Sixers from entering into their offense. With the Knicks nonetheless up three and a bit of greater than three minutes left, Philly tried to get Brunson switched onto Maxey. However Brunson and Miles McBride (with a bit of assist from Achiuwa) didn’t let it occur…

When the Sixers lastly obtained the swap, there have been simply 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Brunson was in a position to include 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 subsequent possession, there have been eight seconds left on the clock earlier than the Sixers obtained what they wished (an Embiid submit catch), as a result of Anunoby initially saved the large 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 house on shooters), and compelled him into a tough, step-back jumper that got here up method brief.
5. Knicks double, scramble and contest
The Sixers had been nonetheless down simply 4 when Lowry rebounded an Oubre miss. He instantly obtained the ball to Embiid on the left aspect 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 important 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 vitality 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’ll finish this sequence in Recreation 5 on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, TNT).

* * *
John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You may e-mail him here, discover his archive here and follow him on X. 
The views on this web page don’t essentially replicate the views of the NBA, its golf equipment or Warner Bros. Discovery
The 4th-year guard set profession highs in scoring (25.9), assists (6.2) and steals (1.0) whereas making his 1st All-Star Recreation.
Philadelphia's middle says he's battled signs akin to blurred imaginative and prescient and dry eyes since earlier than the Play-In Match.
Joel Embiid delivers a powerful recreation regardless of foul hassle and the 76ers' enormous third quarter carries them in Recreation 3 victory.
Philadelphia had Recreation 2 received, however New York refuses to be denied because it claws again from 5 factors down within the ultimate 27 seconds.
The 4th-year guard set profession highs in scoring (25.9), assists (6.2) and steals (1.0) whereas making his 1st All-Star Recreation.
Philadelphia's middle says he's battled signs akin to blurred imaginative and prescient and dry eyes since earlier than the Play-In Match.
Joel Embiid delivers a powerful recreation regardless of foul hassle and the 76ers' enormous third quarter carries them in Recreation 3 victory.
Philadelphia had Recreation 2 received, however New York refuses to be denied because it claws again from 5 factors down within the ultimate 27 seconds.
The All-Star guard seems to get again on observe because the Cavs-Magic sequence resumes in Cleveland for Recreation 5 on Tuesday.
Bam Adebayo, CJ McCollum, Karl-Anthony Cities, Lindy Waters III and Russell Westbrook are the finalists for 2023-24.
4 gamers scored 40+ pts on the identical day for the primary time in Playoff historical past. The Wolves received a sequence for the primary time since '04.
FantasyPros breaks down the highest DraftKings and FanDuel each day fantasy gamers for Monday's 3-game playoff slate.
San Antonio phenom Victor Wembanyama will play regular-season NBA video games in his house nation for the primary time.
Citing the crew, information shops report Timberwolves coach Finch has a ruptured proper patellar tendon after an in-game collision.

source