Knicks take commanding 3-0 series lead with 108-94 Game 3 win over 76ers

The Knicks are one win from ending this series, and Game 3 showed why. Philadelphia got Joel Embiid back, got the home crowd, and still got run off the floor late. New York didn’t need a miracle. It just kept stacking winning possessions until the game tilted for good. By the fourth quarter, the gap felt bigger than 14 points. ### What actually swung this game? The first big swing came after Philadelphia led 31-27 at the end of the first. New York owned the second quarter 33-21, took a 60-52 halftime lead, and never really gave control back. That stretch changed the feel of the night — the Sixers stopped playing downhill, and the Knicks started dictating where shots came from. ### Why was Brunson the center of it? Because this is what he does when games get sticky. Brunson finished with 33 points, and the timing mattered as much as the total. Whenever Philadelphia hinted at a push, he answered with a bucket or a steady half-court possession that kept the Knicks from spiraling into bad offense. He didn’t just score — he kept the game on New York’s terms. (espn.com) ### Where did New York really overpower Philly? On the glass and in the possession battle. The Knicks outrebounded the Sixers 49-33, including a 13-9 edge on the offensive boards. That gave New York extra shots and kept Philadelphia from getting out in transition. The Knicks also scored 52 points in the paint and forced the Sixers into a more jump-shot-heavy game than they wanted. (espn.com) Basically, New York made the simple stuff look exhausting for Philly. ### Did Embiid’s return change enough? Not enough. His return mattered emotionally and structurally — Philadelphia looked more settled early — but it didn’t fix the bigger problems. The Sixers still couldn’t sustain offense for four quarters, and they still didn’t have answers once New York tightened up. Getting a star back is huge, but only if the rest of the machine starts working too. (foxsports.com) That never happened here. ### Why do Bridges and Shamet matter here? Because playoff games are rarely won by one star alone. Brunson carried the headline, but the Knicks got needed support from Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet, and that’s what makes New York dangerous right now. Bridges gives them another reliable scorer and defender on the wing. Shamet’s bench minutes helped keep pressure on Philadelphia instead of letting the game flatten out when the rotation shifted. (freep.com) ### How bad is 3-0, really? Historically, it’s about as bad as it gets. No NBA team has ever erased a 3-0 series deficit. So this isn’t just “Philadelphia needs the next one.” It means the Sixers are now trying to do something the league has literally never seen, against a Knicks team that looks more physical, more organized, and more confident each game. (msn.com) ### What does Game 4 hinge on? Philadelphia has to make the game uglier in the right ways — more second chances, fewer empty possessions, and far better half-court execution when Brunson starts hunting matchups. The Knicks, meanwhile, just need to keep doing the boring winning stuff: rebound, defend without fouling, and trust Brunson late. The catch for the Sixers is that New York has been better at all of those things through three games. (nba.com) ### Bottom line This didn’t feel like a fluke road win. It felt like a team taking control of a series at every level — star shot-making, depth, rebounding, and composure. That’s why 3-0 matters here. The Knicks aren’t just ahead. They look like the better team. (foxsports.com)