When Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby together in the starting lineup, the New York Knicks are 22-3.
They were two of the five players that participated for more than forty-three minutes on Sunday afternoon in Game 4 of the Knicks' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, and they left their marks all over New York's 97-92 triumph.
In the playoffs, Brunson set a new record with 47 points, surpassing the two 46-point games that Bernard King had in 1984. Along with dishing out 10 assists, he only committed one turnover.
Anunoby contributed 16 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, and some crucial Joel Embiid defense.
Here are some statistics, clips, and thoughts as the Knicks jumped out to a 3-1 series lead.
- Brunson and the Knicks go for Embiid
The person that Embiid was guarding set 35 of the 52 ball screens that the Knicks set for Brunson, according to Second Spectrum statistics. Thus, even if the two MVPs of the team weren't covering one another, on the Knicks' end of the court, this game was essentially Brunson vs. Embiid.
Embiid began the play by dropping into drop coverage, guarding the rim and, in the event that Brunson's defender was caught in the screen, enabling Brunson to stride into easy jump shoots.
- The Knicks still rule the glass
Despite their poor performance on Sunday from 3-point range, the New York colleagues are still 40-for-98 (41%) from beyond the arc in the series.
A defense that sends assistance to the ball is also vulnerable on the glass, and the Knicks punished the Sixers once more with offensive rebounds.
The Knicks had 26 second-chance points and 23 offensive rebounds in the first game.
The Knicks had just 12 and 12 in Game 2, but Donte DiVincenzo's game-winning 3-pointer was made possible by Isaiah Hartenstein's offensive rebound.
The Knicks converted 15 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points in Game 4, along with additional possibilities for second-chance points due to loose-ball fouls and rebounds that went out of bounds.
The fourth quarter produced eleven second-chance points, or more than half of the total. More than half of the Knicks' 20 points throughout the stanza came from those 11 second-chance scores. After three quarters, the game was tied at one point, and the fourth quarter was nasty, with both teams shooting a combined 12-for-45 (27%).
The Knicks held 39.4% of the available offensive rebounds in their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, which was the greatest rate of any club in any series during the previous ten years. They have only slightly underperformed in terms of offensive rebounding percentage in this series (38.9%).
The Knicks held 39.4% of the available offensive rebounds in their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, which was the greatest rate of any club in any series during the previous ten years. They have only slightly underperformed in terms of offensive rebounding percentage in this series (38.9%).
Anunoby had played over 45 minutes, Hart had played over 44, and Brunson had played over 42 minutes at that point in the game. However, the Knicks' defensive intensity remained unmatched.
The Sixers had just 92 points on 91 in Game 4, including just 16 on 21 (76 per 100) in the fourth quarter, after scoring 125 points on just 91 possessions (137 per 100) in Game 3.
The Knicks have a 22-3 record overall with Brunson and Anunoby, which includes a 13-0 record at Madison Square Garden, where they will play Game 5 of this series on Tuesday to conclude it.