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Tim Bontemps, ESPN
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Brunson, fresh off setting multiple playoff records for the New York Knicks, led his team to a 97-7 lead with 47 points and 10 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their first-round series. led to 92 thrilling victories. He asked if he wanted to savor his accomplishments now or save them for later.
“When I retire, I'll look back,” Brunson said. “Seriously. It’s great right now, and that helped us win.
“But that won't do us any good going forward.”
But Knicks fans, especially the thousands who made their way down Interstate 95 into Wells Fargo Center on Sunday afternoon, will be in for plenty of sun. They saw Brunson put on his latest great performance in a season full of them to give New York a 3-1 advantage in this best-of-seven matchup.
Game 5 will be played Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, where New York will play either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Indiana Pacers for a spot in the second round.
Joel Embiid, who had 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but was 7-of-19 overall and missed all five shots he took in the fourth quarter, was asked about his team's mindset. , he said, “one book at a time.” face exclusion. “We know we’re good enough and we just have to keep believing in ourselves because we didn’t make any shots tonight.
“There was no pressure on us. We're the No. 7 seed, we're down 3-1, we've got a lot of guys injured. … I don't know why we feel the pressure. So we just have to go out and play our best basketball, win one, go home, win another, and look forward to Game 7 over there. I’m here.”
Embiid's comments aside, the 76ers were under pressure from Brunson every second the Knicks star was on the court Sunday. He ripped through defenses in a historic performance, making 18-of-34 shots, grabbing four rebounds and committing just one turnover in over 43 minutes.
The star guard's 47 points broke the franchise playoff scoring record, giving Nick at least 40 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he became the third player to record at least 45 points, 10 assists, and one or zero turnovers in a playoff game, joining Damian Lillard and Kevin Johnson. Brunson joins Trae Young as the only players in NBA history to score at least 70 points in consecutive playoff games.
Both were remarkable turnarounds from the first two games of the series, in which Brunson made 16 of 55 from the field.
“Jalen is a great player,'' said OG Anunoby, who played great defense against Embiid in the final minutes after starting center Isaiah Hartenstein was benched due to foul trouble. “You start to expect that. You expect him to make every shot. He's a great player. Even when he was cold in the first few games, you expect him to turn it around. You knew, because we see him every day.
“It was going to turn around eventually.”
And every time Brunson missed a shot, it looked like the Knicks were right there to pick it up. New York, which had already won Game 1 of this series by dominating the offensive glass, did it again in this game, grabbing 15 offensive boards and scoring second-chance points in a game that Philadelphia lost by five points. This led to a 21-8 advantage.
That advantage was especially evident in the fourth quarter, when New York grabbed seven offensive rebounds, took an 11-2 edge in second-chance points, and forced Philadelphia into 11 consecutive misses in the final five minutes of the game.
“I think we learned that over the course of the season,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked what makes his team successful late in games. “Jaylen has been playing at an incredibly high level all season and we'll be able to show that.
“We have a little bit of everything, and the rebounding was great. Everyone was wondering about Josh's rebounding.” [Hart] At power forward. We were the best rebounding team all year. Everyone had doubts about Jalen being the leader.
“We have a lot to prove. We need four games to win the series. That's what we have to focus on.”
