PHILADELPHIA -- There were times this season when the Knicks' defense looked so disjointed, it threatened to derail their hopes for a deep playoff run.
Those concerns have been all but squelched in this Eastern Conference semifinal series, as the Knicks shut down the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter once again en route to a decisive 108-94 win in Game 3. The Knicks held the Sixers to just 18 points in the final quarter on Friday night following a 12-point showing in Game 2, pushing Philly to the brink of elimination.
New York is now on the doorstep of making back-to-back conference finals appearances for the first time since 1999-2000.
Mikal Bridges took the place of the injured OG Anunoby as the team's defensive disruptor in Game 3, helping limit 76ers leading scorer Tyrese Maxey to just eight shot attempts through the first three quarters. Anunoby injured his right hamstring in Game 2 and is listed as day-to-day.
Knicks coach Mike Brown praised the performance of the much-maligned Bridges, who has rebounded from a slow offensive start to the playoffs to average 20.5 points in his last four games, dating back to the series against Atlanta.
"I would be not doing my job if I didn't point out the continued work that Mikal is doing at the point of attack when it comes to Maxey," Brown said. "You're not going to stop him. You hope he misses a few shots, but you have to give multiple efforts and Mikal is busting his behind trying to do that."
Bridges, who grew up near Philadelphia, had to deal with the challenge of chasing around Maxey while also allocating tickets to friends and family. There was more than a few Knicks supporters in the arena, despite the Sixers' best efforts, and their chants of "Let's go Knicks" rung throughout the arena as New York pulled away.
"Just trying to do whatever it takes to win," Bridges said. "Beginning of the playoffs, knowing that all 82 regular-season (games) means a lot, but there's another season after."
Maxey finished with 17 points and seven assists, but the 76ers seemed more focused on running their offense through Joel Embiid, who missed Game 2 with ankle and hip injuries. And even though there was no Anunoby to help out on Embiid, along with Karl-Anthony Towns being in foul trouble in the two middle quarters, it didn't take the Knicks off course.
It hasn't looked the same in the last two games. The Knicks have had to morph into different versions of themselves to counter the 76ers. With no Anunoby, they turned to veteran guard Landry Shamet for critical minutes and he scored 15 points while playing nearly all of the fourth quarter.
"That's why you give different guys opportunities at different times," Brown said. "What hopefully it shows coming from me is that I have confidence in them. And not only that, your number can be called at any time, so be ready."
While the Knicks have seemingly pressed all the right buttons this series, the 76ers have been steadily searching for answers. The Knicks have been there, but they've at least had better health through the process, and it seems to be working.
Overall, the Knicks slowed down Paul George, who went 0-9 after a hot first quarter, and held the 76ers to just 42 percent shooting and 28 percent from 3-point range. Embiid scored 18 points but was generally ineffective, especially when matched up against Mitchell Robinson.
The consistency they've been looking for all season has seemingly shown up at the right time, which is why they could be the first team to clinch a conference finals berth on Sunday afternoon. It could also give Anunoby more time to recover from his injury without the worry of rushing him back.
"I think the most important thing is to rely on our defense," Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. "There's gonna be times the ball is going through the hoop and when it's not, we have to control the things we can control."
Brunson continued his strong offensive series with 33 points, his second 30-point performance in three games. Nine of those points came in the fourth quarter after the 76ers cut the Knicks lead to 88-84 with 8:54 left, but got no closer.
"We all want to win," Brunson said. "And obviously there's ups and downs of it, and we have times where we look disconnected and we look connected. There's gonna be ups and downs. It's all about how you move on, how you move in a positive direction."