After two games played at Madison Square Garden, the animosity between the two teams also made the trip to the Wells Fargo Center. In a first quarter with two flagrant fouls and a technical foul called against Philadelphia, it was the Knicks who got off to the best start. With nine points, Jalen Brunson (39 points, 13 assists) regains skill while Joel Embiid's Sixers are only at 43% on shots (29-27).
The entry of Cam Payne (11 points) and Nicolas Batum, authors of three winning shots in quick succession, reversed the trend and launched an 11-2 which allowed Philly to take the advantage (40-36). The Sixers, however, miss the opportunity to drive the point home.
Eight points from Jalen Brunson, the third foul from Joël Embiid, and a foul on a winning shot from Bojan Bogdanovic put the Knicks in front (52-49). Despite his three fouls, Embiid remained on the field and held his team at arm's length to prevent them from taking a blow before halftime (58-55)
Joel Embiid unleashed at… 3-points!
The duo Joel Embiid – Tyrese Maxey (25 points, 7 assists) takes responsibility to start the third quarter. The Sixers score six winning shots in three minutes, including three in a row for Embiid on three assists from Maxey, to pass a 21-9 to their opponent (85-75)! Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart (20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) try to limit the damage but Kelly Oubre Jr (15 points), Cam Payne, and Joël Embiid add three new 3-point shots to end the period at +13 (98-85)!
The 2023 MVP passes the 40-point mark to establish his points record in the playoffs and put the Sixers at +15 (111-96). Jalen Brunson cuts the gap in half to sow doubt in the minds of Philadelphia fans but this time the Sixers do not flinch. They validate their first victory in the series and will try to equalize in Game 4 on Sunday.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A first quarter under high tension for the Sixers. Three reviews, two flagrant fouls, one technical foul, that’s the summary of the first 12 minutes of the match between the Sixers and the Knicks. After the first two games, both teams continued to play physical but Kyle Lowry was caught in a flagrant by putting a finger in the eye of Donte Di Vincenzo. In the process, it was Joël Embiid who found himself in all the bad shots, in particular when once on the ground he tried to catch the legs of Mitchell Robinson who was receiving an alley oop. The pivot, still frustrated by the refereeing, did not come close to being sent off but ultimately managed to control his emotions to respond in the best possible way.
– A Joël Embiid record and on fire. Trailing at the break, the Sixers needed to put in a big third quarter to revive themselves and their MVP led the charge. Still on one leg and well supported by his lieutenant Tyrese Maxey, Embiid adjusted the sights. Reluctant to go into the paint, he first scored two mid-range shots, before making three 3-pointers in a row to blow up the Wells Fargo Center! The exclamation point is a 4th winning shot in the final seconds to end the period with 18 points. He continued with 15 points in the last quarter to finish with 50 points! His new record for points in the playoffs and the first player to score at least 45 against the Knicks in the playoffs since Michael Jordan in 1996.
– Jalen Brunson reassures himself, Mitchell Robinson throws in the towel. Clumsy during the first two games of the series, Jalen Brunson regained his effectiveness in Game 3. In the room where he played when he was at Villanova, the Knicks leader finished the game with 39 points on 48% shooting. and 13 assists. The Knicks were once again able to count on Josh Hart, OG Anunoby (17 points) and Isaiah Hartenstein (14 points) but Donte Di VIncenzo and the bench got through it. Worse, they had to do without Mitchell Robinson in the second half. Victim of a sprained left ankle, he remained in the locker room and his status for Game 4 is uncertain.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
