The New York Knicks fall to the Philadelphia 76ers 125-114 in game three. Joel Embiid scored 50 points and sought revenge against the Knicks in the dirtiest ways possible.
The New York Knicks lost game three to the Philadelphia 76ers 125-114, bringing their first-round series to 2-1. Physicality went to another level, with the Sixers picking up two flagrant fouls early in the action and arguably deserving a third. The refs seemed reticent to hold Philly’s players accountable, ignoring a Joel Embiid knee to Isaiah Hartenstein’s groin and giving him a flagrant 1 violation after pulling Mitchell Robinson to the ground in an obviously dirty play.
But dirty plays didn’t cost New York the game. The Knicks held on to a slim lead through most of the first half, leading by three points heading into the third quarter. The Sixers took over in the third quarter, shooting at unbelievable efficiency with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey leading the way. Philadelphia outscored New York by 16 points in the third quarter, and while the Knicks made one final push at a comeback, they never came closer than an 8-point deficit.
After all the fervor over fouls in game two, Joel Embiid shot 21 free throws while the entire Knicks team took 19. But there’s more to the result than a 48-minute long make-up call. Let’s check how the players performed.
The Knicks’ starters can’t stop Embiid, but key players wake up
Jalen Brunson: 39 PTS (13/27 FG, 3/7 3PT, 10/12 FT), 13 AST, 2 REB, 4 TO in 45 mins
Jalen Brunson finally found his offense. He knocked down a few shots early, but more importantly, beat double-teams with passing. Brunson repeatedly spotted Isaiah Hartenstein for floaters in the paint to start the game. Once help defenders began to think twice about committing to Brunson, the Knicks’ star had space to beat his defenders for finishes and fouls.
Brunson’s jumper came around, making his unpredictable offense even more potent. He consistently made the right choice, whether to pass or shoot. His playmaking made room for everyone to operate, putting the Sixers’ defense on its heels.
There’s one blemish on JB’s performance. He made three bad turnovers in the fourth quarter, hamstringing their attempt at a comeback. New York’s leader can be even better than he’s already shown. Brunson gets a 4 out of 5 for a great game, with mistakes late.
Donte DiVincenzo: 5 PTS (2/7 FG, 0/3 3PT, 1/2 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 28 mins
Donte DiVincenzo played better than his numbers but still had a disappointing night. The Sixers did a great job crowding him off the three-point line. DiVo got a few attempts up, but his only clean look came in the fourth quarter, and he was out of rhythm. DiVo’s two field goals came at the rim, including a poster.
The Big Ragu’s playmaking and rebounding made up for his lack of scoring, at least somewhat. The Sixers forced DiVincenzo to put the ball on the floor, and he found teammates after beating some closeouts. He also chased loose balls and generally played hard.
Donte stepped up and called out Embiid for a dirty foul on Mitchell Robinson. That earned him a bump in his performance score, but it still barely gets him to 2.5 out of 5 for his impact.
Josh Hart: 20 PTS (8/16 FG, 4/8 3PT), 6 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL in 43 mins
Josh Hart is still red-hot. He added four more three-pointers to his shooting streak while continuing to be a playmaker from the wings and transition and an agent of chaos on every loose ball. Hart flew up and down the court, attacking any defender that met him in the paint, from smaller guards to giants like Embiid.
We’ve spent an abundance of this series looking at the foul calls on Jalen Brunson and Joel Embiid’s shot attempts. Josh Hart deserves a shout-out, too. He takes strong drives to the basket every game and is often the victim of no-calls. To make matters worse, Hart is often sent barreling to the floor, which gives the opposing team a chance at quick transitions against fewer defenders.
Outside of a few missed bunnies, Josh Hart played another excellent game. I wouldn’t rate his performance as flawless, but he’s providing support in every area of need. Hart gets a 4 out of 5 for another great performance.
OG Anunoby: 17 PTS (7/11 FG, 3/4 3PT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 39 mins
OG Anunoby finally found his offense. Since returning from elbow surgery, he hadn’t shown us consistent shooting at a distance. But this time, he knocked down his open looks from long and mid-range all night, including two threes in the fourth quarter. The shooting added to his drive and finish ability, sparking a 17-point outburst.
Anunoby’s defense continued to be good, but not as elite as we’ve come to expect. He can’t keep up with the speedy Tyrese Maxey through screens, which leaves Maxey to take jumpers relatively unimpeded. Maxey’s jumper also has a gravity that keeps OG from helping aggressively on Embiid’s touches, further hindering Anunoby’s typical defensive impact.
Anunoby is having a decent series, but his impact isn’t nearly as large as it had been throughout the regular season. I don’t blame OG for that, but rather the way he’s been utilized. Smaller players that have an easier time getting “skinny” through screens make more sense covering Maxey, and OG would be free to double Embiid. I’m hoping Thibodeau makes an adjustment, but for now, OG gets a 2 out of 5 for impact.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 14 PTS (7/12 FG, 0/1 3PT), 1 AST, 4 REB in 26 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein’s floater helped kick off New York’s offense. He continued a trend from the conclusion of the last game by finding open space whenever Embiid wandered too far off him. I-Hart didn’t get many chances to create for others, but that left him free to score.
Hartenstein’s defense is hard to rate. He defended well, except when he was fouling Embiid. But it’s hard to blame him for some of the foul calls that went against him. The Sixers’ star threw tantrums for whistles, and by the second half, light contact was enough to earn free throws. So, Hartenstein ran into foul trouble, though I don’t blame him.
Hartenstein couldn’t do much about the shots Embiid hit once he’d gotten into a rhythm. It’s difficult to rate his performance because he provided good minutes but was hampered by foul calls. That wouldn’t have been as problematic if Mitchell Robinson were healthy. Hartenstein gets a 2.5 out of 5 for good minutes but too many fouls.
New York’s second unit loses its big man
Miles McBride: 8 PTS (3/7 FG, 2/4 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 22 mins
Miles McBride defends Tyrese Maxey better than anyone else on the Knicks. He’s contributing in other ways, but Deuce’s defense might be most important because Maxey is torching everyone else.
Deuce is also hitting shots. He knocked down a pair of threes and added a clever finish in the paint. He didn’t create as much with passing as he had in the two home games, but it’s more a case of McBride spending more time off-ball than on.
I’d like to see Deuce checked in earlier when Maxey starts to get going. He makes plays at both ends of the court and even came close to repeating the steal and finish he had on Maxey in game two. McBride gets a 2.5 out of 5 for his contribution.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 5 PTS (1/5 FG, 1/3 3PT, 2/3 FT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 13 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic seemed to rush his shots. He knocked down an early three, thanks to a nice pass from Jalen Brunson. But everything looked hurried after that. I’ve always admired Bojan’s quick-trigger release, but he felt too sped up in this game.
The good news is, despite a poor shooting performance, Bojan did other things well. He hustled for a few rebounds and defended with enough effort to make up for his lack of mobility. Cam Payne beat Bogey off the dribble, but our Euro-sharpshooter chased Payne down and blocked his layup attempt off the glass.
The Knicks need Bogey’s shooting, and I don’t expect him to continue slumping. He’s settled into a nice role for New York, and I suspect that will continue. Bogdanovic gets a 1.5 out of 5, but considering his tough shooting night, he held his own.
Mitchell Robinson: 2 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/2 FT), 7 REB in 12 mins
Mitchell Robinson nearly missed the game with a sore ankle. He gave it a go and visibly frustrated Embiid early. That made Embiid’s dirty play on Mitch particularly egregious.
OG Anunoby drove the lane, knocking Embiid down and passing to Robinson. Mitch would have had an open dunk, but Embiid grabbed him around the ankle and pulled him down. It was a dangerous play, and Robinson’s limp got progressively worse afterward.
Mitch gutted out the rest of the half and even dunked an alley-oop. But he couldn’t continue after halftime when Embiid and the Sixers’ offense exploded.
Precious Achiuwa: 4 PTS (2/2 FG), 1 BLK, 1 TO in 10 mins
Precious Achiuwa took the floor after Mitchell Robinson’s ankle injury. Precious provided a lively few minutes at the end of the first half. But his defense faltered in the second half. He’ll have two days to prepare if Mitch can’t go on Sunday.
Tom Thibodeau should talk to the refs about dirty play
Tom Thibodeau has used post-game pressers to take cryptic shots at the refs. But he needs to stop taking the high road and speak plainly. Joel Embiid just got away with dirty fouls and finished with more free throws than the entire Knicks roster.
Thibodeau shouldn’t beat around the bush; he should say the quiet part out loud. Embiid is taking the most free throws out of any player in the playoffs by a wide margin. The Sixers shouldn’t be able to complain their way to an even more beneficial whistle.
Closing Thoughts:
That was one of the most frustrating losses I’ve ever witnessed. Watching Joel Embiid take dirty shots at both centers in our rotation, throw tantrums over nominal contact, and be rewarded with more than 20 points worth of opportunities at the free-throw line went well past aggravating.
I’ve always been a fan of gritty, hard-nosed basketball. But there’s no room for cheap shots or dirty play in that arena, especially not for a player being shielded from any contact by the refs. After all of Nick Nurse’s theater to excuse himself and his players for choking away game two, game three felt like a joke.
But the Knicks are resilient. They’ve overcome plenty of uphill battles, and this isn’t the first time the recklessness of others has injured a Knick. They’ll fight back without needing to play dirty, and I expect Tom Thibodeau to adjust the defense in meaningful ways. New York will bounce back, assuming the refs don’t consistently give Joel Embiid 20 points per game at the charity stripe.
Sunday can’t come soon enough! The Knicks will play early, and hopefully, they can wash away the bitter taste of this loss. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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