The Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks took their war of a first-round series to Philly for a pivotal Game 3. After losing both games in New York to begin the series, the Sixers got a career-best Joel Embiid performance to win 125-114.

Let’s break down Game 3 at the Wells Fargo Center.

76ers player notes

Joel Embiid: 50 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 13-19 FG shooting

The big man scored at will against the Knicks, sticking their bigs with foul trouble and rumbling his way downhill and into the post. He went nuclear in the third quarter, splashing three-pointers and twisting the New York defense into a pretzel. After letting emotions get the best of him in the first half, he came out looking way more composed in the second. He was on a mission and wouldn’t let anything stand in his way.

A new career high in points in a playoff game underscored his unreal performance — one that he could have very sensibly lost the chance to do if he ejected a reckless play early in the game.

Tyrese Maxey: 25 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 9-21 FG shooting

Maxey, who received his Most Improved Player trophy before the game, hit a wall at first and then overcame it in the second half. He turned defense to offense as the Sixers turned on the burners. In the halfcourt, he utilized his speed to collapse the defense and keep the ball moving.

Knicks player notes

Jalen Brunson: 39 points, 2 rebounds, 13 assists, 13-27 FG shooting

The Sixers managed to knock Brunson way off his game through the first two matchups. This time around, he was his typical great self. No one could stay in front of him and, even if they could, Brunson had a bag of tricks to free himself up for a shot or a foul.

Game recap

It wasn’t literally do-or-die for the 76ers, but they’re pretty much there. Down 0-2 to the Knicks after an all-time implosion to drop Game 2, the Sixers had two days off and got the chance to play in front of their home crowd for the first time this series. They needed to find a way to get scoring around their stars, keep up the great work defending Brunson and match New York's physicality and intensity to prevent the 0-3 hole that no NBA team has ever climbed out of.

De'Anthony Melton was made active for the first time in this series but did not play.

1st half

Embiid posted up Isaiah Hartenstein and scored a layup on the first play of the game. The Sixers went back to the low post and scored on a broken play before OG Anunoby drafted a corner three. Both teams' fan bases were represented well, as was made clear by the loud cheers on each team's first buckets (though that is perhaps an indictment on the Philly crowd for allowing so many opposing fans to show out).

The Sixers crashed the offensive glass hard to start the game, earning themselves an extra-chance bucket via a short Tobias Harris jumper. Kyle Lowry committed Villanova-on-Villanova crime by smacking Donte DiVincenzo in the face as he went for the ball, earning a Flagrant 1. Embiid was charged with an offensive foul after another review. If there’s one thing this crowd wanted, it was replay reviews from the refs!

Isaiah Hartenstein, meanwhile, got into a great rhythm with his floaters, hitting three of them from 10-or-so feet away in the first six minutes. But Embiid managed to pin a pair of fouls on him, sending Mitchell Robinson into the game. Embiid almost got himself tossed by grabbing Robinson's legs on a dunk attempt after getting nudged to the ground on what could have been an offensive foul by Anunoby. The already high tensions shot through the roof and Embiid was given a Flagrant 1.

As far as the actual basketball was concerned, Brunson finally got going and scored nine points on 4-7 shooting in the first quarter. New York was able to work him onto a more favorable matchup and he took advantage. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a nice opening period with eight points, three rebounds and two assists. The Knicks successfully scored on fast breaks to take a narrow lead after the first quarter.

Cam Payne started the second quarter and promptly drained a pair of triples and scored on a floater. He also blocked a shot and set up Embiid for a layup attempt that he drew a foul on. It was Hartenstein's third, again sending in Robinson despite showing more limited mobility. Payne was providing the spark the Sixers needed alongside their stars. Embiid, though, committed his third foul on a charge. A challenge from Nick Nurse didn’t overturn it and he left the big man in the game.

The Knicks challenged Embiid in the paint with Deuce McBride going at him (and moving the skinnier Payne) for a short jumper. Embiid looked to do the same against the ailing Robinson, sizing him up in the low post and hitting jumpers over him. Embiid barreled through Robinson, getting the Knicks center to commit his third foul. Precious Achiuwa came into the game.

The Sixers tumbled into halftime, wasting a timeout because of a mishap on an inbound and relying solely on Embiid out of the post for offense, and trailed the Knicks by a score of 58-55.

2nd half

The Sixers were off and (literally) running to start the next half, sparked by a Maxey steal-and-score. Defense fueled offense as they went on a run to retake the lead. Philly captured the tempo of the game and, as the refs let a lot of contact on both sides go, outscored New York 16-8 in the first five minutes.

Robinson was ruled out for the rest of the game with a left ankle sprain, putting the Knicks' rotation into an even more dire state as the Sixers continued growing their lead. Embiid drained three triples, two off of feeds from Maxey, as New York struggled to contain their pick-and-pop game. No one could stay in front of Maxey, pulling over additional defenders that freed up the perimeter.

The Knicks had plenty of answers as Josh Hart's hot shooting continued to burn and Brunson crafted buckets out of thin air. Embiid took complete control, though, requiring multiple defenders on each possession. He even threw up a random shot hoping for a foul that turned into an alley-oop to Oubre. He scored 18 points in the quarter, including a perfect 4-4 from deep, as Philly led by 13 heading into the final frame.

Brunson and Maxey were each met with fullcourt pressure from the defense (by Nico Batum and Miles McBride respectively) but still found ways to inflict damage. The Embiid-less Philly lineup hadn't totally let up the momentum but were struggling to hold on. Paul Reed at least stuck a fourth foul on Hartenstein as Embiid came back in with a nine-point lead. Then Embiid drew the fifth on a three-point attempt.

Lowry took a charge on Precious Achiuwa and Embiid rose up for yet another triple. He worked his way up to a new career-high mark in points in a playoff game as the 76ers tried to extinguish the Knicks. With no room for error, New York committed several. The whistles had gotten way more sensitive in the fourth quarter, which Embiid and Brunson both took advantage of.

The Knicks kept at it, but the 76ers stayed ahead, getting the required stops and rebounds to hold on with a multi-possession cushion. Embiid made his way up to 50 points as Philly picked up a pivotal victory.

Assorted observations

  • You. Can’t. Do. That. Joel. That grab at Robinson's legs was reckless and the result of frustrations with officiating. The frustrations are one thing, but doing that is just unacceptable. Think about how that moment could have cost him an all-time playoff performance.
  • Nothing is ever truly normal in Sixers land, right? Thankfully Oubre (and no one else involved) was not injured in the second car crash he was involved in this season.

Game 4 will be on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.