The Sixers go cold, Landry Shamet heats up and the Knicks win 108-94 to take a 3-0 series lead
Joel Embiid's return from hip and ankle injuries was not enough to prevent the Sixers from being on the brink of elimination in Game 4 on Sunday.
The 76ers trailed, 105-89, when fans inside Xfinity Mobile Arena started heading toward the turnstiles. The flood gates opened in the fourth quarter and so did the doors leading out into the crisp Philadelphia night.
When it was all said and done, the Sixers lost, 108-94, and trail three-games-to-none in their second-round series against the New York Knicks. While these Sixers recovered from a 3-1 lead in the first round against the Boston Celtics, no team has ever come back from the deficit the Sixers currently face.
How did they get here? The Sixers were absolutely spent after one day off between their seven-game series with Boston and Game 1 against the Knicks. Then they were outclassed. The Knicks’ stars did it in Game 2 and their bench got it done in Game 3.
» READ MORE: Sixers gave a pro-Knicks crowd plenty to cheer for in a 108-94 Game 3 loss
It wasn’t for lack of effort. Joel Embiid scored 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting in Game 3 after missing Game 2 with hip and ankle injuries. Tyrese Maxey had one of the quieter nights of his postseason, with 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting as the Knicks forced the ball out of his hands with a barrage of double teams. And Paul George once again started hot but failed to sustain it. He scored 15 in the first quarter and finished with that same tally.
Here’s more of what we learned from a game that could serve as the death knell of the Sixers’ season.
Sixers’ lack of shotmaking
The Sixers couldn’t miss to start the game. George was in his element, knocking down three-pointers and making tough, contested step-back shots. Embiid made two looks close to the basket. Maxey scored only once but took what the defense gave him, including throwing two alley-oops to rookie VJ Edgecombe.
The Sixers led big in the first quarter before their shooting tailed off. And they never fully recovered after they cooled off. George went 0-for-9 after the first quarter. Embiid continued to struggle from three (0-for-4) and missed a few missed layups as well. Maxey heated up at times, but never broke free enough to affect the game. And Edgecombe had an off night that included an air ball from three-point range.
That lack of shooting extended throughout the roster. Kelly Oubre Jr. shot 7-for-16 and scored 22 points, but missed a few bunnies at the rim. The Sixers’ bench also scored 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Most important, the Sixers just couldn’t keep pace with the Knicks. Jalen Brunson had another big game with 33 points and nine assists and was joined by the other ‘Nova Knicks stars, with Mikel Bridges adding 23 points and Josh Hart posting 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Knicks shot 50% from the field, including several tough fadeaways and finishes at the rim.
Wasted first-quarter start
The 76ers led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter buoyed by George’s scorching start, but finished the period with a narrow 31-27 lead. Edgecombe scored six points, while Embiid and Oubre both had four apiece.
But the Sixers’ inability to finish at the rim on one end and defend it on the other allowed the Knicks to come back late. Edgecombe, Oubre, and Grimes all missed layups late in the period. Meanwhile, Miles McBride and Brunson got easy buckets. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson also extended plays with clutch offensive rebounds.
The Sixers’ inability to hold and extend that lead proved crucial in the first half, and led to an even worse performance in the second quarter, which ended with the Knicks leading, 60-52. The Sixers were outrebounded 25-16 through the first 24 minutes and gave up an unexpected run of eight points to Landry Shamet off the bench.
The Landry Shamet game
No OG Anunoby, no problem. The Knicks forward was one of their best players in the postseason before he went down in the final moments of Game 2 with a hamstring strain. With Anunoby out for Game 3, his team needed to pick up his production. Enter Shamet.
Shamet finished the game with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting and offered major minutes when the Sixers looked like they might blow the Knicks off the court.
The Knicks reserve knocked down an early fadeaway that helped stop the bleeding in the first quarter and never looked back. Next came a corner three-pointer and two more two-point makes.
Shamet’s performance is the type that can make or break a series. The best franchises can tap into their reserves when they run out of fuel or are missing an integral part of the roster. The Knicks did that in Game 3. If they do go on to advance to the Finals this season, Shamet’s performance will be pointed to as a critical moment in their season.
