That was a tough one. After a closely fought Game 2 without Joel Embiid, Game 3 felt like it was going to be a solid chance for the Sixers to get their first win of the series in his return. OG Anunoby, who’s been excellent all around in these playoffs, being sidelined with a hamstring strain was another big factor in Philly’s favor.
But things didn’t quite go to plan. The Knicks were simply the better team at both ends of the floor yet again, winning Game 3, 108-94. Now, as the early 3:30 p.m. tipoff
of Game 4 approaches, the Sixers are back to facing elimination.
New York could stay shorthanded on Sunday, as Anunoby is only listed as questionable to return.
Philly got off to a fantastic start on Friday, and the first quarter shows what this team can be when they’re hitting their threes and their stars are firing. They went up by double digits eaerly and ended the period with a 31-27 lead, led by an electric 15-point quarter from Paul George. This turning step-back three was absolutely beautiful.
VJ Edgecombe even threw down back-to-back alley-oops from Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers’ energy was buzzing early.
They gradually lost steam after that, though. From then on, we saw plenty of reasons why these teams are on different levels right now.
Not being able to stop Jalen Brunson remains a major problem for the Sixers. He led the way again in Game 3 with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting and an 8-of-9 mark from the free throw line. A range of defenders have been thrown at him — from Quentin Grimes to Kelly Oubre Jr. and Edgecombe, with the latter two in particular being strong options who’ve guarded him highly well before. The Sixers have tried using different coverages on Brunson as well. Whether that’s Embiid showing high and recovering to the lane against pick-and-roll ball screens, Embiid in drop, Adem Bona coming high and switching onto Brunson as he did well sometimes in Game 2, or even smaller, switchier lineups like frontcourts with George and Dominick Barlow like we saw more of in Game 3.
But Brunson’s still getting to his spots from the arc, drawing a flurry of fouls (whether you approve of how he does it or not), cutting well off dribble hand-offs, and creating for himself from mid-range or getting to the rim. Embiid’s mobility being diminished right now makes it even harder for him to switch or press high in pick-and-roll coverage, too. It’s easier for Brunson to drive past Embiid or collapse the Sixers’ help defense and pass to shooters. Unless Brunson’s on-ball defenders can do even more to slow him in Game 4, there’s only so much the Sixers can do with Embiid in this state.
Another area the Sixers have to improve in Game 4 is their rebounding. After a great first quarter in Game 3, the tide started turning in the second, in part due to the Knicks getting five offensive rebounds in that period alone. They finished the game with 13 offensive boards overall, giving them 20 second chance points. While it’s understandable the Sixers have entered this series drained after their historic yet tiring 3-1 comeback against the Celtics, the simple difference in effort and intensity against the Knicks, especially on the boards, is costly.
One bright spot in Game 3 was Oubre, who scored a team-high 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. He was cutting well, hit a pair of threes, screening effectively, and pressuring the rim with his finishing.
Oubre was involved in some of the crisper offensive possessions the Sixers put together, too. Like the play below, where Maxey draws two defenders in a pick-and-roll, Embiid gets the ball to roll down a clearer lane, and once Brunson steps up onto Embiid, Oubre is left with a wide-open baseline cut and dunk.
Or the following play, using Embiid’s passing with some simple yet effective off-ball movement. Oubre screens for George this time to get the latter cutting inside, and forcing smaller defenders (including Brunson) to help protect the rim makes it easy for George to finish.
There have been some good offensive processes in place. It’s just outweighed by all the flaws right now.
We could get into more nitty gritty adjustments for Game 4 that could help get the Sixers their first win. They tried a George-Dominick Barlow frontcourt in this one, including opening the fourth quarter with them alongside Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes. They even pulled back within four points early in the fourth. This lineup gives them more switchability and speed on defense, which in theory could work better against Brunson.
Maybe they go back to Adem Bona in Game 4 and hope his size, rim protection and more aggressive pick-and-roll coverage shows up — and the fouls stay away. Maybe they ramp up their rebounding. Or find new ways to exploit Brunson’s lacking defense by forcing him to switch onto George or Oubre, or attacking him in pick-and-rolls more than they already have.
That said, what really matters most is the play of the Sixers’ stars and a weary defense that can’t stop these Knicks. It hardly looks like more tinkering with defensive coverages alone is going to turn this series around.
If Brunson remains a level up, Embiid continues struggling with his movement and shot-making (7-of-17 in Game 3), Maxey’s aggressiveness stays low, and George cools off (he’s been stellar these playoffs, but after his lights-out 15-point first quarter in Game 4 he failed to score another point), the smaller details don’t matter as much. If Maxey and Edgecombe are worn out by the fourth quarter because their minutes are so high and they can’t get a break from handling the ball outside of George’s help, then they just can’t keep up with a Knicks team of this quality.
It was smart for Nick Nurse to lean on a six-man rotation of his best guys through the first round. They wouldn’t have come back without it. Nurse doesn’t have many more options either. But the Sixers could clearly use more help off the bench to buy them some extra offense and rest for Maxey and Co. by this point.
The Knicks got an injection of 15 points from Landry Shamet in Game 3. With the low scoring of Grimes in pretty much every game of these playoffs, the Sixers have no player on the team — someone like, I don’t know, Jared McCain — who’s going to give them that production to ease the load on their backcourt.
Plenty needs to change for the Sixers to win Game 4. Let’s see if they can find a way to claw out a win in Philadelphia to build on the competitive spells they’ve had over the last two games.
Game Details
When: Sunday, May 10, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: ABC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
