NEW YORK, NY — The New York Knicks opened their second-round playoff series in dominant fashion Monday night overwhelming the 76ers, 137-98, in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, behind a masterclass performance from Jalen Brunson and a balanced offensive attack that never allowed Philadelphia to recover.
Despite pregame warnings from head coach Mike Brown that the matchup would be tighter than the seeding indicated—a No. 3 vs. No. 7—the Knicks quickly asserted control. Brown noted beforehand that the 76ers’ trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George had won over 60 percent of their games when healthy, but New York made sure that group never found a rhythm.
Philadelphia instead leaned heavily on Embiid early, using him to draw fouls on Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby within the first few minutes. While that created some initial pressure, the Knicks countered with their own offensive surge fueled by Brunson’s scoring. The All-Star guard poured in 14 points in the opening quarter, guiding New York to a 33-25 lead.
From there, the game quickly tilted. Brunson continued to dissect the defense in the second quarter, finishing the half with 27 points on an efficient 10-of-14 shooting while committing zero turnovers. With Philadelphia forced to prioritize stopping Brunson, New York’s supporting cast capitalized. Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Towns all contributed as the Knicks stretched their lead to 74-51 by halftime.
The third quarter removed any remaining doubt. New York’s offense reached another level, combining sharp ball movement with red-hot shooting from beyond the arc. Anunoby stayed nearly perfect from the field, while Bridges impacted the game on both ends.
Brunson eventually pushed his total to 35 points, and the Knicks ballooned their lead past 30 points midway through the quarter.
Philadelphia, coming off a grueling seven-game series against the Celtics, looked a step slow throughout the night on the road. Head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged afterward that his team “didn’t handle (the Knicks’ physicality) great” and described his squad as “a full step slow” defensively.
New York’s dominance was reflected across the stat sheet. The Knicks shot 63.1 percent from the field and 51.4 percent from three-point range, finishing with 34 assists and a staggering 75 percent effective field goal percentage.
By contrast, the 76ers shot just 41.1 percent and committed 19 turnovers.
Even in a 39-point victory, Brown emphasized areas for improvement, stating, “It was a good game by our guys. We have to be better with our fouling.”
That sentiment was echoed in the locker room, where players stressed discipline despite the lopsided score. Josh Hart noted the team “played a full game of Knicks basketball” but added that attention to detail—particularly avoiding unnecessary fouls—remains critical moving forward.
Game 2 between the 76ers and Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs will go down on Wednesday, May 6th at Madison Square Garden with NY up 1-0 in the best of seven series – Image Credit: NBA
The Knicks have now won four straight playoff games in convincing fashion, but the message inside the locker room remains consistent.
“It’s good, but it’s just one game,” Bridges said. “It goes back to 0-0 in Game 2.”
For New York, the performance signaled a team peaking at the right time. But as Brown and his players made clear, sustaining that level—not celebrating it—will determine how far this run goes.
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