Knicks at 76ers: Halftime Thoughts From Game 4

Call it a star war.

Jalen Brunson and Joel Embiid each lived up to their respective billings in the first half of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals’ fourth game, but the latter’s Philadelphia 76ers are barely prevailing, currently hosting a 49-47 lead on the New York Knicks after 24 minutes.

Embiid has scored 14 points while pulling in seven rebounds and serving four assists while Brunson is nearly halfway to the reigning MVP’s scoring output from Thursday, scoring 23 and assisting on seven more.

Knicks (47)

• Points: Jalen Brunson (23)
• Assists: Jalen Brunson (7)
• Rebounds: OG Anunoby (9)

76ers (49)

• Points: Joel Embiid (14)
• Assists: Kyle Lowry (5)
• Rebounds: Joel Embiid (7)

Philadelphia Fryer

Any doubts of Jalen Brunson’s ability should be rendered null and void by a brilliant first half in one of the most important Knicks games in recent memory. Between his points and assists, Brunson had a direct role in 31 of of the Knicks’ first 34 tallies before he was finally afforded a rest with a manageable deficit. Brunson won’t take any note of it if the Knicks lose, but it’s safe to say that he’s back and then some. Will anyone be willing to help him out? Miles McBride perhaps came closest on the offensive end, hitting two late three-pointers that gave the Knicks a late lead.

The Death of Depth?

Already missing Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks’ depth took another blow when Bojan Bogdanovic, making his Game 4 debut, endured an ankle injury in a tie-up with Nic Batum. He is currently listed as questionable to return. Unless the Knicks feel like introducing a new member into the rotation (fellow deep-ball threat Alec Burks would probably be the closest equivalent, though he lacks Bogdanovic’s bulk), they’ll be able to work with a seven-man rotation no doubt used to extended workloads from TOm Thibodeau. McBride’s assistance was most welcome on the early comeback trail while Precious Achiuwa has filled in nicely with Robinson ailing.

Shooting Most Foul

Last year, the Knicks’ outside shooting ended their postseason run, perhaps prematurely, as they were the only team among the NBA’s 16 qualifiers to shoot less than 30 percent with an extra point on the line. While that problem has more or less been solved (McBride helped the Knicks salvage a half where they missed all but one of their first nine), it’s ironically the easier shots that are spelling their doom this time around: New York was 4-of-9 from the foul line in the first half and are hitting less than 75 percent of their freebies in the series. The Knicks can raise issues with officiating all they want, but there won’t be much sympathy if they’re not capitalizing on the opportunities already afforded to them.

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!