close
close
orange

Brunson makes history, Knicks take lead in Game 4

Vaseline

Jalen Brunson set the franchise record in playoff scoring and the defense came up late as the Knicks stole Game 4 on the road.

The New York Knicks took a commanding 3-1 lead in Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers with the remarkable Jalen Brunson, who is now a new play-off record of 47 points after surpassing the 46 points of Bernard King who led the way for 40 years.

The first quarter started with Joel Embiid and Jalen Brunson sinking the first few buckets. It immediately seemed like the Sixers’ defense was on edge, as was their transition offense. Energetic, it seemed like the Sixers couldn’t help but connect on almost all of their shots. Embiid was their reigning man in the first with 10 points, while Knicks’ guard JB took control with 12 points of his own.

With the Sixers leading by eight points, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau decided it was time to bring in Miles McBride. But even after getting some quality looks, the Knicks simply couldn’t convert as Embiid forced his way inside. The Sixers led with 16 points in the paint, unlike the Knicks who could only put up six points in the paint. . It’s safe to say that the Knicks were starting to look lifeless without the presence of big man Mitchell Robinson on the defensive end.

Despite JB rushing in the first inning, the Sixers ended the first quarter with a ten-point lead over the Knicks (27-17).

After losing Bojan Bogdanović, the second quarter started with two advantageous buckets from the one and only Isaiah Hartenstein. With Embiid rested on the Sixers’ bench, the Knicks had a much better handle on their defense to begin with. After a few sloppy passes from the Knicks, OG Anunoby finally drove one into the key. And when JB drilled one in to cut the Sixers’ lead to just four points, Philadelphia realized it was time to regroup with a timeout. Relentlessly, OG pressed on and knocked one down as soon as both teams returned to the field. JB’s fire couldn’t go out and the Knicks were able to go on a 12-2 run to tie the score at 29.

Cooking with magnetic turnaround jumpers, impressive fadeaways and impeccable footwork, JB chipped away at 11 points and ultimately took the lead for the Knicks in the second. The Sixers’ Maxey wouldn’t go down without a fight, though, making this another close game after nailing his open look downfield. Before halftime he took ten points for himself. But this didn’t stop Deuce from softening up and floating by eight points. New York definitely seeped into this. With three minutes left, the Sixers extended their lead to five again after putting the ball in motion.

The final minutes brought the crowd to their feet and were entertaining for both teams. After the Knicks’ struggles from downtown in the first half (3-11), Deuce made some much-needed back-to-back triples. The second three was followed by an emphatic Knicks possession with Hartenstein taking the ball away from Embiid and OG Kelly Oubre Jr. blocked on return. This didn’t slow Maxey one bit as he and Lowry kept the Sixers’ lead by two.

With the help of JB’s electric offense and OG clearing the glass, the first half ended in a tight battle with the Sixers ahead over the Knicks (49-47).

The third quarter started with Hartenstein landing one for the Knicks and the Sixers’ Maxey answering with a cool jumper. It was clear: Maxey’s lightning abilities continued to give him the higher hand than the Knicks. With another slow start from the Knicks in the third, they were desperate to talk things out after the Sixers went on an 8-0 run in two minutes. After Tobias Harris pushed the Sixers’ lead into double figures, JB was able to cut their lead with a brutal finish against Harris, also knocking down the and-one.

When the Sixers started to get careless a full second into the third, the Knicks were able to capitalize on their points after forcing turnovers. Especially JB, who splashes his mid-range jumpers with beautiful timely shots. This already placed him on the board with a game of 30 pieces. He added 15 points in the third. After a long dry spell, Donte DiVincenzo rained down two straight treys for the Knicks. He had a much better quarter and got all eight of his points here. It was a merry-go-round of threes, with Embiid sinking one after DiVo’s and JB holding the other. And unfortunately for the Knicks, iHart picked up five wild fouls in the third quarter alone.

However, with JB here steering the Knicks’ ship and DiVincenzo chipping in, the Knicks led the third quarter with a one-point lead over the Sixers (77-76).

The Knicks without the presence of iHart or Mitch now wanted to secure the victory in the final quarter. This quarter was sparked by back-to-back shots from Cameron Payne and a triple from beyond the arc from Deuce. After an emphatic rejection by Josh Hart against Nicolas Batum, JB just wouldn’t give up and was focused on showing up for his team.

The recovery here was extremely crucial for New York, as the Sixers’ interior defense came into action. However, the Knicks were persistent and characteristically dominant on the offensive glass.

With five minutes remaining, both teams fought for victory with obvious passion and haste as it was a close match. Precious Achiuwa stepped up as the Knicks’ five and denied Embiid’s shot attempt on a great play. The Knicks defense was locked down and JB never hit the brakes on his explosive offense. After the last few intense free throws, the Knicks were able to hold on to their lead and earned their third win against the 76ers in Game 4 of the series with a final score of 97-92.

In total, three Knicks finished the Sixers by double figures. JB (now the first Knick in franchise history to record 30+ points and 10+ assists in two consecutive playoff games) with a new playoff career high of 47 points, OG Anunoby doing a little bit of everything (16 points and 14 rebounds), and Deuce scoring 13 points (three triples). And even though Hart didn’t shoot the ball particularly well this afternoon, he still towered with seventeen rebounds that were crucial to the Knicks’ victory.

On the other end, four Sixers players finished the game in double figures. Embiid led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Maxey came second with 23 points. Oubre Jr. planted 19 points with three triples. And Harris scored 10 points for his team.

Next up, the New York Knicks will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM ET for a chance to advance to the second round.

» Read: Knicks Vs. Sixers Game 1 Takeaways and Adjustments

» Read: Sixers Q&A with ClutchPoints’ Sam DiGiovanni

»Read: Knicks draw Sixers in tough first-round matchup

Related Posts