With OG Anunoby sidelined with a hamstring injury, Miles McBride got a second straight start for the New York Knicks on Sunday in a closeout game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
McBride made the most of the opportunity while leading the Knicks to a record-tying effort from 3 in an overwhelming Game 4 win. The Knicks ran away with the 144-114 victory to complete a dominant sweep of their rivals to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. It was the most points the Knicks have ever scored in a playoff game.
Knicks tie multiple 3-point records in runaway win
McBride hit all four of his first-quarter 3-point attempts as the Knicks sprinted out of the gates with an 11-of-13 effort from long distance. By halftime, McBride was shooting 6 of 7 from 3 with a game-high 20 points. And the Knicks were 18 of 29 from long distance.
New York’s 11 first-quarter 3s and 18 3s in the first half each tied NBA records for a playoff game. And the Knicks had an 81-57 lead while standing 24 minutes from a spot in the Eastern Conference finals.
New York kept its foot on the gas after halftime to ensure there would be no 76ers rally.
By the end of the game, the Knicks had shot 25 of 44 (56.8%) from 3, tying the record for most 3s by a team in a playoff game. And Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena was filled with chants of “Let’s go, Knicks!” as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
The Knicks dominated the 76ers from the opening tip in Game 4. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
Lofty shooting numbers for red-hot Knicks
McBride finished with a game-high 25 points alongside 4 rebounds and 1 steal. He shot 7 of 10 from the field and 7 of 9 from 3. He was one of four Knicks players to hit four or more 3s while shooting better than 50% from long distance.
Jalen Brunson shot 6 of 10 from 3 while posting 22 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Josh Hart shot 4 of 6 from 3 while tallying 17 points and 9 rebounds. And Landry Shamet shot 4 of 6 from 3 en route to 12 points off the bench.
Joel Embiid finished with a team-high 24 points for the 76ers alongside five rebounds while hitting all eight of his shots from the field.
But the 76ers couldn’t keep pace with the Knicks’ hot shooting and surrendered a 47-30 rebounding advantage. Philadelphia countered with an 8-of-35 (23%) effort from 3 and never stood a chance.
Can the Knicks keep this up?
The Knicks will advance to the Eastern Conference finals against either the Detroit Pistons or Cleveland Cavaliers. They’ll do so on a seven-game win streak as arguably the hottest team in the postseason.
Dating back to a Game 4 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks have won their last seven games by an average of 26.4 points. They won four of those games by 29 points or more. They won their closeout games against the Hawks and 76ers by a combined 81 points.
When they get to the conference finals, the Knicks will have their sights set on advancing to their first NBA Finals since they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.
New York will also have some time off to rest and recover for their next series, which is good news for Anunoby. The Knicks forward strained his hamstring late in Game 2 and has now missed two consecutive games.
The Knicks previously stated that he was “day-to-day,” and he was questionable on Sunday before being ruled out in the hours before tipoff. There’s certainly optimism that he could recover in time for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The series between the Pistons and Cavaliers will go to game 5 at a minimum. Cleveland rallied to win Game 3 on Saturday and will go into Game 4 at home with a 2-1 series deficit.
