In Game 3, the Sixers accomplished all that was required of them. The Sixers responded with a 125-114 victory in their first game of the series against the Knicks, led by a number of outstanding performances and a playoff career-high statement from Joel Embiid.
This was exactly the type of reaction that was required to turn this into a competitive series following the heartbreaking conclusion of Game 2. And the Sixers will have to concentrate on repeating some of the actions they took on Thursday in order to get up to 2-2 as the early Sunday tip-off of Game 4 draws near.
Even though Embiid only had one decent leg and had to battle with Bell’s palsy, he was outstanding. With 13 of 19 shots and 19 of 21 from the free throw line, he was so efficient that he scored the most points ever on 20 or less shots in an NBA playoff game. He went on to explode for a playoff career-high 50 points. Although he won’t likely shoot 50 percent and complete a 5-of-7 heat check every game, his improved movement, return to form from mid-range, deft passing reads, and frequent trips to the free throw line are more encouraging indicators of what he could become as the series progresses.
Another thing to watch will be how Embiid feels about his surgically repaired knee. Even though he performed much better in Game 3, he later clarified that his faith in his knee remains the same.
“No,” he responded when asked whether he had greater faith in it. “I’m just making an effort to stay going. As I have stated, I won’t give up. I’m going to try even if it’s on one leg, but that’s not a justification. You have to keep getting better at what you do. I was lucky enough to make a couple photos tonight. I just need to make sure my man doesn’t get it. I have to figure out a method to rebound, and I don’t even really care about rebounds. Take my man out of the play and box him in. could need more of the same to carry this momentum into Game 4. “Whatever it takes to win.”
Tyrese Maxey went on a scoring spree in the last two quarters, finishing with 25 points and seven assists after shooting 3-of-10 in the first half.
Although Kelly Oubre Jr. gets a lot of credit for his defense in this series—particularly for the way he’s bothered Jalen Brunson with his height and physicality—Oubre enhanced that effort with better play in Game 3. With his 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including two threes, he was a downhill menace and the sort of player the Sixers may need once again on Sunday.
Whether he’s moving the ball efficiently, making three-pointers, or battling on defense, Kyle Lowry never ceases to amaze me with the small things he does well on the court. In Game 3, he scored four crucial points in the last minutes of the game in addition to nine points, four assists, one steal, and one block. In every close game this postseason, the Sixers will need to rely on his intelligence and both ends of the court performance.
Nicolas Batum pulled down six rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks, and made a big block on an Isaiah Hartenstein shot in the closing seconds of the game despite his meager four points of scoring. Batum also guarded Brunson for a respectable period of time, making good use of his length even if Brunson’s quickness occasionally got the better of him.
Still, Cam Payne is the most deserving of praise. Payne provided the offense with a much-needed spark to keep the Sixers moving in the second quarter after the team’s offense struggled more in the first half and Maxey got off to a cold start. During the quarter, he scored eight points in as many minutes by driving into the lane to employ his floater and making confident three-pointers.
While Buddy Hield’s minutes were understandably trimmed to only four in Game 3, Nick Nurse gets credit for shaking up the rotation (Payne only played 2:34 in Game 1 and sat out the whole Game 2). Payne also deserves credit for significantly stepping up. Payne has shown he can contribute in this series, and on Sunday, he ought to receive another chance.
Whether or whether De’Anthony Melton appears in Game 4 is one thing to watch out for now that he’s available. It seems sense that Nurse rode high in Game 3, starting Payne in place of him.
“Payne was amazing,” the nurse remarked. He performed admirably, no doubt. It’s obvious that we were just briefly looking for spark off the bench. We definitely considered going with Cam Payne initially, and we also considered [De’Anthony] Melt[on] a few times in the back of our minds. However, Cam got going, so he essentially soaked up those moments.
The Sixers’ primary focus for Game 4 will be to limit Brunson more than they did in Games 1 and 2. Game 3 saw him have by far his greatest performance, scoring 39 points on 13-of-27 shooting (3-of-7 from three) with 13 assists after shooting only 29.1 percent to average 23 points in the first two games.
In Game 3, the Sixers nevertheless exerted some excellent defense on Brunson, whether it was Batum, Oubre, or Maxey. The Knicks star’s success was partially attributed to his ability to shoot contested floaters and mid-range pull-ups utilizing his exceptional footwork and touch off the bounce. He also benefited from deft screen rejections and high screens that gave him more space to drive downhill. Still, he had to earn a good number of his points by hard effort. The Sixers can throw a few defenders and looks at Brunson, so it will be interesting to watch how both teams respond on Sunday.
Additionally, there’s the issue of holding out hope—or praying—for Josh Hart to calm down from three. He must eventually, don’t you think? He shot an average of one three-pointer per game during the regular season, shooting only 31 percent from outside the arc. However, in this series, he is shooting 52.2 percent from beyond the arc and has made four triples in each game. Role players, of course, have a field day during the playoffs. These sporadic shooting sprees do occur, despite the fact that this Hart streak is an especially ludicrous outburst. But the Sixers would benefit greatly if that shooting became more consistent.
I don’t think the Sixers will score 43 points in a quarter and shoot 75 percent from three-point range like they did in Game 3. They performed a shot-making tutorial, hitting nine out of twelve shots during that time. It will be intriguing to see, though, whether the Knicks are able to better withstand the Sixers’ mix of shooters all around them, Maxey’s penetration, and Embiid’s weight.
In particular, they used a lot of Double Drag to get things going in Game 3, taking advantage of screens that staggered Lowry and Embiid to produce a range of effective outcomes. From Embiid finding space on short rolls to Maxey getting free for pull-up threes to Lowry moving for open shooters.
Even though the Sixers were devastated at the conclusion of Game 2, this series has revived and produced an exciting kind of basketball. It will be interesting to see if Nick Nurse has enough tricks in his sleeve, Maxey can continue to cook, Embiid can continue to thrive in spite of injury, and the supporting cast can continue to step up.
