The New York Knicks pulled off a massive win on Sunday as they took down the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center, 97-92, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in this first-round series.
The Knicks now head back to New York for Game 5 with an opportunity to close out the series in front of a capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Knicks stud Josh Hart did not have the best of games on Sunday. The 6-foot-4 forward finished with four points on 0-of-7 shooting in 46 minutes of action. Thankfully, Jalen Brunson was able to pick up the slack offensively, going off for a game-high 47 points in another show-stopping performance from the All-Star point guard.
After the game, Hart reacted to Brunson’s massive performance. Hart also could not help but troll himself after he came up short in Game 4:
“We needed it,” Hart said of Brunson’s big game. “His starting small forward, power forward, whatever the hell I am, ain’t make a shot, I was like Shaq at the free throw line.”
Hart went 4-of-8 from the charity stripe on Sunday, which as he said, was reminiscent of Shaquille O’Neal’s struggles from the free-throw line throughout the Hall of Famer’s decorated career.
To be fair, Hart salvaged his performance with a game-high 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. It wasn’t all bad for the 29-year-old.
As always, it was Brunson who played the role of the hero for the Knicks in Game 4. The 6-foot-2 guard carried New York in this one with an eye-popping 47-point, 10-assist double-double. Hart knows how big this was for the Knicks and how much Brunson’s game-winning effort will impact this series moving forward:
“He played great offensively. Aggressive,” Hart said of Brunson. “I thought we needed that, so now we gotta continue to build off that for Game 5. Keep moving forward.”
Hart and Co. will want to take care of business in MSG on Tuesday in Game 5 as they look to end the Sixers’ season for good.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!