Takeaways | Knicks can't contain Joel Embiid this time as Sixers win Game 3
Game 3 between the Knicks and Sixers was physical, chippy, frenetic and intense.
And when the final second fell off the clock, Philadelphia had avoided falling into a deeper hole.
The Sixers rode a big third quarter to a 125-114 victory over the Knicks Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1.
The game turned in the third quarter when the Sixers outscored the Knicks 43-27 and took a 13-point lead by the time the period ended.
The Knicks got within eight with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter but couldn't completely close the gap.
Game 4 will be Sunday at Wells Fargo Center at 1 p.m. (ABC/MSG Network).
Takeaways
No limiting Joel Embiid this time
Embiid, who received villain treatment during the first two games of the series at Madison Square Garden, had a huge performance – and drew the ire of Knicks fans once again.
The reigning Most Valuable Player exploded for 50 points, a career playoff high, on 13-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Embiid scored 18 of his points in that big third quarter.
The center lost his composure in the first quarter and was jawing at the Knicks before tempers cooled. But he then got called for a flagrant 1 foul after he fell to the court while trying to guard OG Anunoby, who fed the ball to Mitchell Robinson for a dunk.
While on the ground, Embiid grabbed Robinson’s leg and pulled him down.
The boos and chants are only going get louder when the series goes back to The Garden for Game 5.
Jalen Brunson returns to form after tough start to series
Brunson finished with 39 points on 13-of-27 shooting to go along with 13 assists in an all-around bounce-back performance.
It was encouraging for the Knicks considering the way Brunson’s first two games had gone, where he shot a combined 16-of-55 and averaged 23 points.
Brunson missed some good looks, but the Sixers have thrown everything at him defensively.
Knicks lose Mitchell Robinson to ankle injury
The Knicks announced early in the third quarter that Robinson, who had played so well in the first two games of the series, especially on the defensive end, was out for the rest of the game with a left ankle sprain that he suffered late in the first half.
That’s the same ankle that Robinson had surgically repaired back in December.
So that’s going to linger as a concern for the Knicks the remainder of the series.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Knicks vs. Sixers: Game 3 score, result, takeaways
