2026 Playoffs: East Semifinals | NYK (3) vs. PHI (7)
3 things to watch in Knicks-76ers Game 4
The Knicks hold a 3-0 lead over the 76ers in the East semis, one win from their second straight trip to the conference finals.
John Schuhmann Archive
Updated on May 10, 2026 1:07 AM
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks have feasted late in the shot clock against the 76ers.
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No NBA team has ever lost a playoff series it led 3-0, and the New York Knicks certainly donât look like theyâll be the first. With six straight wins, they hold a 3-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, one win from their second straight trip to the conference finals and the franchiseâs first best-of-seven sweep since 1999.
Here are three things to watch as the Sixers try to stay alive in Game 4 on Sunday (3:30 ET, ABC):
1. Sixersâ ball movement and quality shots
In Game 3, the Sixers had an expected effective field goal percentage of 55.6%, their highest mark in their 10 playoff games. But their actual effective field goal percentage was just 48.2%, their third lowest mark of the playoffs. Itâs a make-or-miss league, and this would probably be a 2-1 series if the Sixers just shot to their expected level on Friday.
The game got away from them when Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George missed open and in-rhythm corner 3-point attempts on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter. It was similar to the fourth quarter of Game 4, when they missed even more good shots.
But the Sixers can be encouraged that they got those good shots over the last 60 minutes of the series. And itâs noteworthy that the better shot quality in Game 3 came with increased ball movement. The Sixers made 302 passes in 19.8 minutes of possession (366 per 24 minutes) on Friday, up from 315 per 24 through the first two games.
The Knicks have been blitzing ball screens for Tyrese Maxey more often in the last two games, taking the ball out of his hands. But blitz coverage (two on the ball) can turn into great shots if the ball moves quickly:
The overall results werenât great on Friday, but the Sixers should continue to ⌠trust the process. If the Knicks continue to blitz, more ball movement should lead to more good shots, which could keep their season going beyond Sunday.
2. Knicksâ late-clock success
The Knicks have shot better than expected in two of the three games in this series, only shooting slightly worse than expected in Game 2. Where theyâve really surpassed expectations is in the last seven seconds of the shot clock, where league-wide effective field goal percentage in the regular season was just 47.1%.
| Knicks shooting in the last 7 seconds of the shot clock | RS/Round | FGM | FGA | FG% | eFG% | Rank | %FGA | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | 694 | 1,581 | 43.9% | 51.2% | 2 | 22% | 4 | |
| First round | 53 | 147 | 36.1% | 40.8% | 12 | 29% | 1 | |
| Conf. semis | 27 | 51 | 52.9% | 61.8% | 2 | 21% | 4 |
Through Friday, May 8.
Itâs a small sample size, but small sample sizes are all you get in the playoffs. An effective field goal percentage of 61.8% in the last 7 seconds of the shot clock is incredible, and it doesnât include the fouls that the Knicks have drawn late in the clock. There were seven of those in Game 3 on Friday, and they resulted in 11 Knicks points at the line.
The Sixers have lived late in the shot clock almost as much as the Knicks, but they have an effective field goal percentage of just 35.7% in the last 7 seconds. They lost Game 3 by 14 points and the score (including fouls) in the last seven seconds of the shot clock was Knicks 40, Sixers 8.
The math tells us that the Knicks should come back to earth a bit in regard to their late-clock success. But even if that happens, it might be too late for the Sixers.
3. Bench minutes
With Miles McBride replacing the injured OG Anunoby in Game 3, the Knicksâ starting lineup was outscored by 11 points in a little more than 12 minutes. But the Knicks dominated the minutes when reserves were on the floor.
Bench points (29-11 in Game 3) can be an overrated statistic. You donât necessarily need your reserves to score a lot if theyâre on the floor with one of your best offensive players, which is usually the case in the playoffs. They just need to push your point differential in the right direction.
And whether theyâve been scoring or not, the Knicksâ reserves have kept the scoreboard moving in the right direction all season. New York had the leagueâs third-ranked bench in the regular season and has had the second-ranked bench in the playoffs. Over their nine postseason games, theyâve outscored their opponents by 25.8 points per 100 possessions in Mikal Bridgesâ 168 minutes off the floor and by 15.5 per 100 in Jalen Brunsonâs 113 minutes off the floor.
The Sixers have had the 14th-ranked bench in the playoffs, and theyâve been outscored by an amazing 36.4 per 100 in VJ Edgecombeâs 103 minutes on the bench. So if their starters continue to play extended minutes on Sunday, you know why.
John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky.
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