Brunson burner | Sports Daily Newsletter

What was worse, Sixers fans: Watching the team wilt down the stretch in a crushing Game 4 loss to the Knicks or hearing the Wells Fargo Center turn into Madison Square Garden South?

Our old Villanova pal Jalen Brunson erupted for 47 points Sunday in a 97-92 Knicks victory on the Sixers’ home court, where a large contingent of New York followers cheered loudly.

Joel Embiid noticed. “Disappointed,” the Sixers big man said of the boisterously pro-Knicks crowd. “I love our fans. I think it’s unfortunate. I’m not calling them out, but it is disappointing. Obviously, you have a lot of Knicks fans, and they are down the road. I’ve never seen it and I’ve been here for 10 years. … [Sixers fans have] always shown up. I don’t think that should happen. It’s not OK.”

It also was not OK for the Sixers to let the Knicks grab every consequential loose ball in the fourth quarter. David Murphy says it’s hard to blame the Sixers fans who stayed home.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ What do you think of the Eagles’ haul in the draft? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Eagles’ draft haul included two top cornerbacks, a developmental pass rusher, two wide receivers, two offensive linemen, and a couple of players from Clemson — one of whom stands out. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will get to play linebacker for the team on which his father became an Eagles Hall of Famer. It was an emotional day for father and son.

Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean slipped out of the first round, where some analysts predicted he’d be taken, and the Eagles are mighty glad he did. But what position will he play?

DeJean is joined in the secondary by first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell, who’s been a small-school star player and now is taking that underdog mentality to the spotlight. Drafting a first-round cornerback for the Eagles has been a rarity. But to get Mitchell seems like a good pick. He showed loyalty by sticking with the Rockets when Power Five teams came calling.

On the free-agent front, the Eagles added depth at the tackle position by agreeing on a one-year deal with Mekhi Becton, a former first-round pick by the Jets.

The Knicks continue to control the boards in this series.

New York has a 61-36 advantage in offensive rebounds and a 79-40 edge in second-chance points, according to StatMuse. That’s hard to overcome, even for a team that had been considered the more talented bunch in the series. Even that remains up for debate. In fact, The Inquirer’s Mike Sielski argues that the Knicks are better than the Sixers in every way.

The Sixers have lost the ability to contain Brunson the way they did in the first two games of the series. Brunson is in no mood to gloat, though, even after breaking a Knicks playoff record.

Next: The Sixers visit the Knicks in Game 5 of their series at 7 p.m. Tuesday (TNT).

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a Sixers fan through and through, took Sunday’s loss hard. She sat courtside next to Sixers legends Julius Erving and Allen Iverson and talked briefly afterward about Philadelphia’s chances of landing a WNBA team. The league is looking to expand to 16 teams and is in the process of selecting three new cities.

“I think we’re more ready than we’ve ever been, I do,” Staley told The Inquirer. “I think the city is buzzing right now for sports, so I think we’re ready. I hope we’re one of the lucky cities that will get a WNBA franchise.”

Staley also had praise for WNBA great Candace Parker, who retired Sunday after 16 seasons.

Taijuan Walker’s first outing of the season resulted in a victory, but it was not all smooth sailing for the Phillies right-hander. Walker hit a speed bump in the seventh inning when San Diego pinch-hitter Luis Campusano hit a three-run home run. Fortunately, the bullpen did the job in an 8-6 win as the Phillies finished off a sweep of the Padres. Bryson Stott hit a pair of homers and J.T. Realmuto added another.

One reliever who is struggling is Seranthony Domínguez, who has an 8.68 ERA in 11 games this season. He is working to regain his nasty slider.

Next: The Phillies visit the Los Angeles Angels tonight at 9:38 (NBCSP).

The Union dropped a 2-1 decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday, but Dániel Gazdag scored to earn a share of the team’s all-time goals record across all competitions. Gazdag tied Sébastien Le Toux with his 56th goal. “Yeah, it’s still annoying that we lost today,” Gazdag said. “It would have been much better if we’d won the game and I’d scored. It’s a nice number, but it’s still annoying, the game today.”

Union goalkeeper Andre Blake is hoping his rash of injuries is “just a little phase for me.”

Next: The Union will make up the weather-suspended home matchup with Seattle at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (Apple TV).

April 29, 1989: The Flyers won the Patrick Division finals with a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7. Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, Mike Bullard, and Scott Mellanby scored for the Flyers. Ken Wregget made 39 saves to post the victory.

Today at noon: Ask The Inquirer’s Devin Jackson anything about the Eagles and the draft on Reddit. Here’s the link.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Mike Sielski, David Murphy, Gabriela Carroll, Gina Mizell, Aaron Carter, Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Jonathan Tannenwald, Colin Beazley, Jeff Neiburg, and Christian Red.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in Tuesday’s Sports Daily, when we’ll gear up for Game 5. — Jim