On April 29, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued, and in the previously concluded games, the Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder in the West all successfully got the match point, and the Lakers pulled back a game in the last game to avoid the fate of being swept by the Nuggets. On the Eastern side, the Cavaliers and Magic tied 2-2, the Celtics defeated the Heat away and regained the lead, and the Bucks were very passive, not only falling behind, but also injured Brother Alphabet and Lillard, and the situation was very unfavorable. In the other set of matchups, the 76ers and the Knicks had a score of 1-2, although Randle, the core of the Knicks' lineup, was reimbursed for the season, but Brunson, together with Anunoby and Hart, played very tenacious. Although coach Thibodeau was anonymously rated by the players as the coach that NBA players least wanted to play, when it came to the playoffs, Thibodeau believed that 6-7 people, at least the team could play effectively.
In the last game, Embiid scored 50 points and led the team to finally get one back, but 21 free throws in one game also attracted heated discussions in the American media. Although Embiid is one of the strongest interior stars in the NBA, the 76ers lost too many rebounds in the first three games, and Embiid was unwilling to protect the frame + play the tactics of floating, making the 76ers lose their dominance under the basket. When it comes to critical moments, the Knicks can always turn the tide of battle with rushing rebounds. According to the modeling calculations given by the American media "BR", the probability of the Knicks advancing to the second round is 77.1%, and the probability of the 76ers advancing is 22.9%! Back to this game, the Knicks start: Brunson + DiVincenzo + Hart + Anunoby + Harden; 76ers starters: Maxey + Lowry + Oubre + Harris + Embiid.
At the beginning of the game, Embiid dunked + made a layup against Harden, Brunson responded with consecutive jumpers, and then hit a three-pointer with a pick-and-roll. Harris had a good hand, Lowry made a three-point foul, and Embiid was beaten by Anunoby and lost under the basket. In the middle of the period, Embiid jumped + fed Oubre, Maxey also continued to shoot three-pointers, Embiid and Harris continued to score at the end of the quarter, and after the first quarter, the 76ers led the Knicks 27-17! Embiid played the first quarter full, with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while the Knicks only had a stable output point for Brunson, and the situation was relatively passive. Back in the second quarter, Harden continued to eat cakes to close the point difference, Anunoby resisted Maxey for a layup, Brunson counterattacked and continued to chase points, the 76ers were directly dumb on the offensive end, Anunoby even shook off Harris, took off and glided to blow up the dunk!
At the critical moment, it was Maxi who made a three-point shot to stop the bleeding, but Brunson continued to train Maxi after training Oubre, Maxi responded with a three-point shot, and Embiid also began to make foul free throws. In the second half, Oubre and McBride exchanged three points, Lowry's three-pointer helped the 76ers maintain a slight lead, and the 76ers led the Knicks 49-47 at halftime! Embiid had 14 points and 7 rebounds in the first half, Maxey scored 13 points, and Brunson scored 23 points! The 76ers couldn't grab the Knicks with rebounds, and Embiid was obviously too soft on the defensive end and was afraid of confrontation. At the start of the second half, Hatten and Anunoby caught up again, Embiid hit a mid-range shot, Maxey and Oubrene burst out, and the difference quickly reached double digits again. At the critical moment, it was Brunson again, continuous jump shots to stop the bleeding, Brunson continued to make kills in the second half, Oubre and DiVincenzo hit three-point shots, and at the end of the quarter, Brunson and DiVincenzo blossomed inside and out!
At the end of the third quarter, the Knicks overtook the 76ers 77-76, and Brunson walked with a limp, really tired. In the fourth quarter of the decisive battle, McBride and Payne hit three points, Brunson hit a whistle jumper when he came back, Anunoby made a basket + Hart made a kill, and the Knicks have maintained a slight lead. At the moment of the decisive battle, the 76ers lost rebounds in a row, Brunson relied on free throws + breakthrough layups to open a 6-point difference, Embiid finally relied on free throws to score, and then Brunson made free throws to lock up the win!
According to Knicks statistics, Brunson exploded with 47 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists, Anunoby had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks, Hart had 4 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists, DiVincenzo had 8 points, Hatten had 8 points and 4 rebounds, and McBride had 13 points and 4 rebounds. 76ers statistics, Maxey 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Embiid 27 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Oubre 19 points and 3 rebounds, Harris 10 points and 8 rebounds, Lowry 7 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
After the whole game, the Knicks grabbed 10 more rebounds than the 76ers, and Embiid was almost invisible in the fourth quarter except for free throws, and it was difficult for the 76ers to win on these two points alone! Throughout the second half, Brunson carried the team on his shoulders, including a brief return to the locker room for treatment during the break in the third and fourth quarters, and then took over the game immediately after returning, which was too strong! In the end, Embiid has no leadership genes, and it is okay to rely on shooting and free throws to score points, but the willingness to finish at critical moments is very average. This series has also lost suspense, Embiid is recovering from his injury, and he can prepare for the Paris Olympics this summer with Curry, Lao Zhan, and Durant!