Behind Jalen Brunson’s team playoff-record 47 points, the New York Knicks took a commanding 3-1 first-round series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday with an exhilarating 97-92 road victory.
After the 76ers had done an excellent job of containing Brunson in the first two games, he torched them in both contests in Philadelphia.
The Knicks return to the Garden on Tuesday night with hopes of closing out the series.
Knicks vs. 76ers prediction for Game 5
(7 p.m. ET, TNT/MSG)
While Brunson was brilliant on offense, the Knicks turned up their defensive pressure in Game 4.
The Sixers were held to just 16 points in the fourth quarter and went without a field goal over the final 5:03, missing their last 11 shots.
For the game, they shot 35.4 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3.
The Knicks’ defensive showing was even more impressive considering Mitchell Robinson, their anchor on that end of the floor, missed the game with an ankle injury.
He is questionable for Game 5, while Bojan Bogdanovic has been ruled out.
Precious Achiuwa was a massive contributor off the bench, finishing with four blocks and seven rebounds with a team-high +11 on the plus/minus. He played the entire fourth quarter with Isaiah Hartenstein in foul trouble.
The Knicks will want to get more balanced offensive contributions Tuesday.
Josh Hart had his worst game of the series as a scorer, finishing with just four points on 0-for-7 shooting. OG Anunoby was the team’s second-leading scorer behind Brunson with 16 points.
Joel Embiid has continued to struggle through injuries.
After a 50-point outburst in Game 3, he was held to 27 points on 7-of-19 shooting (36.8 percent).
The Sixers also got little from their supporting cast, finishing with just six bench points. Kyle Lowry and Tobias Harris shot a combined 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from the field.
Now, the 76ers must quickly forget that devastating loss as it’s win or go home.
It’s clear Embiid is not fully healthy, and it’s difficult to know what we’ll get from him on a game-to-game basis. His fourth-quarter production has been particularly problematic, as he’s shooting just 3-of-18 overall (16 percent) in the final frame of the first four games.
Meanwhile, Brunson has been lights out after a difficult start to the series, and he’ll be hungry to put this series to bed Tuesday night. Brunson is an electrifying clutch scorer who’ll feed off the home crowd. At this point, he’s far more reliable as a closer than a hobbled Embiid.
The Knicks have seen far greater production from their role players than the 76ers in this series. Even with Robinson missing time, the Knicks have dominated defensively with massive contributions coming from the bench.
NBA teams with a 3-1 series lead have gone on to win the series 95.4 percent of the time (268-13). Those teams have finished the job in Game 5 at a 63 percent rate. In the first round, that number is 96.3 percent (78-3) to win the series.
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I’m expecting the Knicks to reach another crescendo with a statement win over the 76ers, and I recommend backing them on the spread.
Lay the 3.5 points.
PICK: Knicks -3.5 (-110, BetMGM)