The New York Knicks are one win away from turning a rivalry series into a statement.
After beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-94, in Game 3 on Friday night, the Knicks now hold a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jalen Brunson carried the night with 33 points and nine assists, Mikal Bridges added 23, and the Knicks survived without OG Anunoby, who missed the game with a right hamstring strain.
This was not just another playoff win. This was the kind of game good teams steal and serious teams take.
Philadelphia had Joel Embiid back. The building had energy. Paul George opened the game like he was about to flip the series by himself. The Knicks were shorthanded, on the road, and dealing with early pressure. For a while, it had all the ingredients of a Sixers response.
Then the Knicks did what this team has learned how to do: absorb the punch, defend like grown men, and let Brunson close the door.
Brunson is the Pulse
At this point, there is no mystery to what the Knicks are in this series. Their identity starts with Jalen Brunson.
Brunson’s 33 points mattered, obviously, but the box score only tells part of it. What stood out was the way he managed the game. Every time Philadelphia threatened to tilt the night, Brunson slowed the pace, got the Knicks organized, and forced the game back onto his terms. When the offense started to flatten out, he found the right matchup. When the crowd needed a shot of belief, he delivered one.
That is the difference between a star and a playoff closer. Plenty of players can pile up points in April and May. Brunson changes the rhythm of a fourth quarter. He plays with a level of patience that borders on ruthless, probing until the defense makes the mistake he has been waiting for.
The Knicks needed every bit of that control because this was not their sharpest performance. Karl-Anthony Towns battled foul trouble. OG Anunoby was unavailable. The offense hit some uneven stretches where possessions got sticky and the spacing was not always clean. But Brunson kept the night from slipping into chaos.
That has become the Knicks’ formula. When the game tightens, Brunson does not panic. He organizes, attacks, and closes. Right now, that is the difference in the series.
Bridges on Defense
The box score will say Mikal Bridges finished with 23 points. The bigger story was what he did defensively.
Paul George opened the night looking like he might take over, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. Then Bridges and the Knicks took the air out of him. George did not score again. That is not a coincidence. That is a defensive adjustment turning into one of the defining details of the game.
Bridges gave the Knicks exactly the kind of two-way value they envisioned when they brought him in: length, poise, timely shot-making, and the ability to bother an elite scorer without forcing the defense to overextend itself.
That becomes even more important with OG Anunoby sidelined. The Knicks can withstand a night without Anunoby because Bridges can absorb a tougher defensive assignment and still provide real offensive production. That is not just roster depth on paper. That is roster construction showing up when the games matter most.
Shamet Gives the Knicks an Answer Off the Bench
The difference between winning a playoff game and looking like a team capable of playing deep into May is usually one role player stepping into a moment he was not guaranteed to get. In Game 3, that player was Landry Shamet.
Shamet gave the Knicks 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting after spending much of the postseason on the edge of the rotation. With OG Anunoby unavailable, New York needed someone to steady the second unit and keep the offense from bleeding points when the starters sat. Shamet did more than survive those minutes. He changed them.
That is the kind of performance that travels in a playoff series. Rotations shrink this time of year, but depth still gets tested. The Knicks’ bench gave them a real lift, especially in the early fourth-quarter stretch when Philadelphia had a chance to drag the game into scramble mode. Instead, New York got shot-making, spacing, and composure from a player who was ready when his number finally came up.
That is why this Knicks team feels different. They are not just asking Jalen Brunson to solve every problem by himself. They have counters. They have layers. And in Game 3, Shamet became the latest reminder that this roster has more ways to win than it used to.
Sixers Running Out of Time and Answers
Philadelphia is not finished because, technically, the series is not over. But a 3-0 hole in the NBA playoffs is not just a deficit. It is quicksand.
Joel Embiid was back on the floor and gave the Sixers 18 points, six rebounds and five assists on 7-of-17 shooting. That is a real contribution, but not a series-changing one. He looked limited, and the Knicks made sure nothing came easy. They made him catch the ball in uncomfortable spots, forced him to work through traffic, and never let him fully control the game.
Tyrese Maxey had 17 points and seven assists, but the Knicks kept him from consistently turning the corner and living in the open floor. Paul George’s night was even more telling. After scoring 15 points in the first quarter, he vanished from the game offensively. For Philadelphia, that cannot happen in a must-have spot.
The Sixers still have enough talent to steal a game if the Knicks get loose with the ball or start settling. They have enough shot-making to make a night uncomfortable. But through three games, the difference has been obvious. The Knicks have been tougher. They have been deeper. They have been more connected defensively and far more trustworthy late.
That is the series.
Will The Knicks Sweep?
Yes. And honestly, they should.
That does not mean Game 4 will be easy. Sweeps are hard because desperate teams play with nothing to lose. Philadelphia will empty the tank. Embiid will try to impose himself early. Maxey will almost certainly come out more aggressive. The Sixers are too talented to simply roll over.
But the Knicks have the better identity right now. They are winning the possession battle, defending harder, getting contributions outside of Brunson, and showing they can survive imperfect nights. That is how teams close.
The one concern is Anunoby. If his hamstring issue lingers, that becomes a bigger-picture problem beyond this series. The Knicks can beat this version of Philadelphia without him for a night. Asking them to keep advancing deep into the postseason without one of their best two-way players is a different conversation.
Still, for Game 4, the formula is obvious: make Embiid move, keep Maxey out of transition, do not let George find early rhythm again, and let Brunson run the show late.
The Knicks are not just up 3-0 because they caught a few breaks. They are up 3-0 because they have been the better basketball team.
Now comes the real test of maturity: do not give Philadelphia oxygen.
The sweep is there. Go take it.
