NBA playoffs: Knicks advance past Sixers as Jalen Brunson does something not seen since Michael Jordan

The New York Knicks superior previous the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, and so they can primarily thank one other signature efficiency from Jalen Brunson.

The All-Star level guard led his staff to a 118-115 win in Sport 6, ending a contentious sequence with a 41-point efficiency. It was Brunson’s third straight 40-plus-point sport and fourth straight with at the very least 37 factors. No participant had achieved the latter within the playoffs since Michael Jordan in 1993.

New York will now face the Indiana Pacers, who put away the Milwaukee Bucks earlier Thursday, within the Jap Convention semifinals.

Sport 1 is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Madison Sq. Backyard (TNT).

Placing away the Sixers appeared like a a lot simpler activity than anticipated within the first quarter, when the Knicks rocketed out to a 22-point lead, however the Sixers got here again and took a lead into halftime. The Knicks later took again management with a nine-point lead late within the fourth quarter, just for the Sixers to once more tie it with 35 seconds left.

Cue Josh Hart:

Hart’s clutch 3-pointer gave the Knicks the lead and a subsequent basket from Joel Embiid nonetheless left the Sixers needing to foul. Donte DiVincenzo and Brunson made 4 extra free throws from there to maintain the sport out of attain and finish the sequence.

To summarize, it was an excellent sport for Villanova gamers.

It was an enormous sport as properly from Joel Embiid, who had 39 factors on 12-of-25 capturing with 13 rebounds, two assists and 5 turnovers. He fouled out within the remaining minute.

If you happen to had informed Sixers followers that Embiid dropped 39 whereas the bench mixed for 42 factors, they might in all probability ask you the time for Sport 7. Sadly, scoreless outings by Tobias Harris and Kyle Lowry left them an excessive amount of work to make up in opposition to a extra cohesive Knicks staff.

With rotation member Bojan Bogdanovic out for the season with a wrist and foot accidents, the Knicks leaned closely on their starters to take them throughout the end line. Brunson, Hart, DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby all performed at the very least 43 minutes, with DiVincenzo staying on the court docket all the sport. Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride have been the one bench gamers to see the ground, scoring a mixed 5 factors.

That technique may need left New York gassed for a Sport 7, nevertheless it paid off.

It was a becoming finish for one of many first spherical’s most eventful sequence. The Knicks took Video games 1 and a pair of, however solely received the latter due to a frantic sequence during which the NBA admitted New York dedicated a number of fouls to pressure a turnover. It took a 50-point efficiency by Embiid for the Sixers to keep away from a 3-0 gap, just for Brunson to reply with a 47-point efficiency in Sport 4. Then got here a profession evening from Tyrese Maxey to stave off elimination.

It was a hostile, dramatic sequence, and the Knicks ought to be joyful it is over.