This is the spot every team dreads. Down 0-3, no franchise has ever clawed out of it, and the Sixers now get to host that history lesson at home. Jalen Brunson dropped 33 in Game 3 and Mikal Bridges chipped in 23 as the Knicks closed out a 108-94 win — Philly's last gasp came at 88-84 with under 9 to play and they never got closer.
Embiid is the whole story for Philly. He's listed as probable with hip soreness after gutting through Game 3 on a bad wheel and shooting 6-of-17 for 18 points. Probable usually means he plays, but "plays" and "is Joel Embiid" haven't been the same thing this series. If he's grinding through the hip again, it's hard to see where the offense beyond Kelly Oubre Jr. — who went for a playoff career-high 22 in Game 3 — actually comes from.
- Day-To-DayJoel Embiid C — Embiid (hip) is listed as probable for Sunday's Game 4 against the Knicks.
The Knicks have their own question mark in OG Anunoby, who sat Game 3 with a hamstring strain and is reportedly questionable for Game 4. New York didn't need him to take care of business on the road, which tells you how much momentum is on their side. Mike Brown's first year on the bench is one win from a second straight conference finals trip, and the rotation is clicking even short-handed.
The market sees this as a real game, just barely. Knicks are favored by a deuce on Pinnacle with a total parked at 213.5 — tight number that says oddsmakers expect a desperate Sixers team to actually show up at home, not roll over. Closeout games on the road are usually where favorites get sloppy, so don't be shocked if this one goes the distance.
The pick here: if Embiid is anything close to himself, Philly steals one and we get a Game 5. If he's hobbling around at 70%, the Knicks finish the job and start resting up for the next round. Everything runs through the big fella's hip — same as it ever was in Philadelphia.