Jalen Brunson did everything he could to lift the New York Knicks over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 on Sunday. He scored 47 points, with 10 assists and four rebounds. He became the first player in Knicks postseason history to have a 40-point, 10 assist game, then drained a free throw with a few seconds left to set a new franchise record for points scored in a playoff game.
And it was enough. Brunson stuffed the Knicks in his backpack and carried them to a 97-92 Game 4 victory. They have a 3-1 lead over the Sixers and have a chance to close out the series at home on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
Philly had a strong start to the game, but the first quarter wasn’t an indication of how close and hard-fought this game would be. A 14-4 run allowed them finish the first quarter leading 27-17, but the first 12 minutes of the game felt like an appetizer. It was just something to nosh on before the main course arrived.
And did it ever arrive. The Knicks took over in the second quarter, starting the moment Embiid went to the bench. Just four minutes into the quarter a 10-2 run almost brought the Knicks even with the Sixers, and 90 seconds later they had tied it. From there it was a back and forth affair, with Brunson and Embiid again leading the charge for their respective teams. The half ended with Brunson leading all scorers on either team with 23 points (no one else on the Knicks was in double figures), and Embiid leading the Sixers with 14 (Tyrese Maxey finished with 13).
Despite Brunson scoring more than half of the Knicks’ points, they trailed by one at halftime. Philly managed to stake out a 10-point in the lead midway through the third, but then they started getting sloppy. After giving up just two turnovers in the first half, they had five in the third quarter alone.
The messiness allowed the momentum to shift over to the Knicks. They took advantage of missed rebounds and turnovers, and created new possessions out of thin air and a little elbow grease. Philly lost their ability to rebound with about three minutes left in the game and simply couldn’t get it — or the lead — back. Before Maxey scored on a free throw with 27.1 seconds left, the Sixers hadn’t scored since 5:05. They missed their final 10 field goals down the stretch.
Down by four with the clock running out, Embiid turned down a mid-range jumper and couldn’t force his way through for a dunk. Kyle Lowry scored one on a free throw, but intentionally missed the second to give the Sixers a chance to snag the rebound. Instead, Brunson was fouled, which allowed him to set a Knicks franchise record and finally put the game to bed.
The Knicks can finish off the Sixers on Tuesday in New York. They play at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
