The Knicks frontcourt duo also made the right reads in rotations and pick-and-rolls, SNY TV’s Ian Begley notes. “I don’t know how to (explain it),” Achiuwa said. “It’s a feel thing between me and OG. When we’re involved in a defensive action, I understand what he wants to do, we read off each other and play off each other that way. … That’s kind of what played into it.” While Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was setting a franchise record for playoff points in a single game, Sixers counterpart Kyle Lowry only made one field goal in Game 4, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. Lowry, an unr ..read more

The Knicks have ruled out wing Bojan Bogdanovic for Game 5 of their first-round series against the Sixers on Tuesday, Fred Katz and Shams Charania of The Athletic report. Bogdanovic is dealing with a left foot contusion. (Twitter links). Bogdanovic was injured when he collided with Sixers’ forward Nicolas Batum just after entering Game 4 on Sunday. Bogdanovic averaged eight points and four rebounds during the first three games of the series, including a couple of clutch baskets during New York’s Game 2 victory last Monday. With Bogdanovic departing after one minute of action, Knicks coach Tom ..read more

The Suns will take “a hard look” at a coaching change after being swept out of the playoffs by Minnesota, sources tell Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic. If Frank Vogel is retained, management will consider making adjustments to his staff, according to the authors, who add that general manager James Jones will be kept in his current role. Vogel still has four seasons remaining on the $31MM contract he received when he was hired last June. He was 49-33 in his first year with Phoenix and the team made a late charge to claim the sixth seed in the West, but there were concerns by the ..read more

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson broke Bernard King’s franchise record on Sunday with 47 points in New York’s Game 4 win over the Sixers. Brunson didn’t shoot well in the first two games of the series but has averaged 43 points and 11.5 assists in the last two games. Sixers star Joel Embiid called out the home fans after the loss, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links). The arena had plenty of people rooting for the visitors. “Obviously you got a lot of Knicks fans and they’re down the road and I’ve never seen it and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of (ticks) me off, espe ..read more

1:40 PM: Bogdanovic has officially been ruled out for the rest of the contest, the Knicks have revealed (via Twitter). 1:31 PM: Knicks reserve combo forward Bojan Bogdanovic incurred a foot injury in the middle of New York’s critical ongoing Game 4 against the Sixers this afternoon, when Philadelphia forward Nicolas Batum fell into him. Per the Knicks (Twitter link), he has officially suffered a left foot contusion and is considered questionable to rejoin his comrades later in this game. New York, despite missing All-Star power forward Julius Randle, currently leads the Sixers 2-1 in the serie ..read more

The toughness that Joel Embiid displayed in Game 3 will have to continue for the Sixers to have any chance to win their series with New York, writes Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite dealing with the pain of a surgically repaired left knee and the difficulties brought on by a mild case of Bell’s palsy, Embiid set a career playoff high with 50 points in Thursday’s crucial victory. With two days to rest before the series resumes Sunday, Embiid is embracing the challenges of playoff basketball, no matter what physical ailments he has to overcome. “I want to play as much as possib ..read more

After the Sixers ripped the officiating following their Game 2 loss, it was the Knicks who had grievances to express during their post-game media session following Game 3. As Peter Botte of The New York Post writes, head coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t happy with the fact that Joel Embiid went to the line 21 times while his team as a whole was awarded just 19 free throw attempts. “I’ll look at it again, and I’ll send my clips in like I do every game and they’ll say, ‘marginal contact,’ and then we’ll have marginal contact on Embiid and he’ll be at the line 21 times,” Thibodeau said after Thursday’s ..read more

Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton is active and available for the team ahead of Game 3 against the Knicks (Twitter link via PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck). Melton went through shootaround earlier today, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link), but it’s unlikely he’ll have a big role after barely playing this calendar year. We wrote Melton could return earlier Thursday. “He’s always an impactful player when he’s out there,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said about Melton in a story penned by Neubeck. “One thing I can say as a co-worker and friend, he really works. There’s never been a moment that he’s bee ..read more

The Sixers may have another rotation player available for Game 3 of their first-round series with the Knicks tonight. De’Anthony Melton practiced on Wednesday and could suit up, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “I’m feeling good,” Melton said after the practice. “I’m ready for the game tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.” Melton averaged a career-high 11. 1 points this season and could be a defensive factor. He’s played only seven games since Dec. 30 due to a spinal injury. “I think for me, the little things, rebounding, boxing out, getting deflections, getting steals,” Melto ..read more

Trade deadline acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic came up big for the Knicks in Game 2 against the Sixers on Monday despite a sore left wrist, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. Bogdanovic, whose $19MM contract for next season is partially guaranteed for $2MM, hit a couple of 3-pointers and added two assists in 12 minutes. Sixers forward Nicolas Batum felt that Tyrese Maxey was a “no-brainer” for the Most Improved Player award. Maxey was named the winner on Tuesday. “This is the first award that after 30 games people were like, ‘Maxey’s the Most Improved Player.’ It was pretty much a no-brain ..read more