The New York Knicks are one game away from returning to the conference finals after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 108-94 in Game 3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Friday night to take a commanding 3-0 series lead in their second-round series.
Game 4 is Sunday back in Philly.
The Knicks, who were without OG Anunoby(hamstring strain), got 33 points, five rebounds, and nine assist from Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges added 23.
Philadelphia, which had Joel Embiid back in the lineup after missing Game 2 with a hip and ankle injury, started the game with a lot of energy. After a Paul George three, who scored 15 points in the first quarter but was scoreless the rest of the way, the 76ers had a 20-8 lead midway through the quarter. New York was able to close the gap, and the 76ers took a 31-27 lead at the end of the first quarter.
From there, it was all New York. In the second quarter, New York, which has won six straight postseason games, outscored the 76ers 33-21 as they shot 57% from the floor. The Knicks had their largest lead of 12 in the second and took a 60-52 lead at halftime.
New York had control in the third and led 85-76 heading into the fourth. Philadelphia would cut the lead to 88-84 after a Quentin Grimes three. However, the Knicks would go on a 17-5 run to take their largest lead of the game at 105-89.
The 76ers, who had five players in double figures, including all five starters, were led by Kelly Oubre’s 22 points. Embiid added 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Maxey chipped in with 17 points.
Bottom Line:
No one in NBA history has come back from a 0-3 deficit, and it appears that could be safe. The 76ers appear to have no answers for what the Knicks are throwing at them.
They have no answers for Brunson, and they got outworked on the glass(49-33) in Game 3. In addition, the Knicks had 19 second-chance points.
The 76ers did come back from a 3-1 deficit in the last round against Boston, and at the time, everybody thought it was over. However, this is probably over.
The Knicks are better than the 76ers, but it’s not a big gap, so anything is possible; however, Embiid looks hobbled, which makes it difficult.
To get at least get one game in this series, Maxey must be aggressive, as he took only 12 shots. In addition, they have to get more from George, who went 0-9 from the field after the first quarter.
It’s one game at a time, and we’ll see if the 76ers will play with pride and avoid the sweep on Sunday.
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