Knicks Take 3-0 Lead Over 76ers With 109-94 Game 3 Victory

Jalen Brunson scored 33 points and sealed the victory with key baskets in the final quarter to lead the Knicks to a 109-94 win over the 76ers on Friday night in Philadelphia. The result put the Knicks ahead 3-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 4 is set for Sunday in Philadelphia.

The Knicks turned a four-point lead in the fourth into a double-digit victory as several players with ties to a local university took control. One added 23 points while another contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds. The team has the option to bring back a key forward averaging 21.4 postseason points but kept him sidelined with a strained right hamstring; he remains day to day.

The 76ers mounted a late challenge in front of a split crowd that included many visiting fans who filled sections of the arena despite local ticket restrictions. One player hit his first two three-pointers of the game early in the fourth to cut the deficit to four points.

The home team could not sustain the rally, however, as the visitors responded with a 9-0 run that included a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Joel Embiid returned after missing the previous game with a sprained right ankle and sore right hip, finishing with 18 points.

Kelly Oubre Jr. led the 76ers with 22 points and another guard added 17. The 76ers had rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the first round after Embiid's recovery from an appendectomy but now face the task of winning four consecutive games against the Knicks.

The Knicks built momentum in the fourth quarter after the 76ers trimmed the lead to 88-84. Consecutive baskets pushed the advantage to eight points before the decisive three-pointer extended it to nine during a 9-0 spurt. Visiting fans in the arena cheered loudly throughout the closing minutes as the lead grew.

Embiid had urged local fans before the series not to sell tickets to out-of-town supporters. "Don’t sell your tickets," Embiid said ahead of the series. "This is bigger than you. " Despite his plea, thousands of opposing fans created a divided atmosphere with chants, cheers and boos on nearly every possession.

One guard who played at a local university delivered eight points in the fourth quarter after a slow start and finished with nine assists to go with his 33 points. Another teammate shot 8-of-14 from the field for 23 points and has averaged 20.5 points on 72.3 percent shooting over the last four games. The coach noted the group's resilience after overcoming an early 12-point deficit.

“They’re resilient, they’ve been through a lot as a veteran group, and it showed tonight.”

The 76ers received a strong first quarter from one forward who scored 15 points before going scoreless the rest of the way. The team shot poorly from beyond the arc in a separate game that night but that contest involved different teams in a women's league.

Celebrities who regularly attend games in one city traveled to Philadelphia for the matchup. The arena featured championship banners from a local university in the rafters while fans from multiple boroughs created a raucous environment. One actor stood and applauded a three-pointer in the third quarter that temporarily stretched the lead to nine points.