Knicks crush the 76ers 137-98 to
start the second round and keep up a historic postseason roll
[May 05, 2026]
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his 35 points in the
first half and the New York Knicks emphatically added to a historic
postseason roll by overwhelming the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 on
Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three
straight postseason games by at least 25 points, continuing a wave
that began midway through the first round against Atlanta by
shooting 63% from the field and leading by 40 points.
“We’re playing well, but it doesn’t mean anything if we can’t find a
way to get three more wins,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.
“So, we've just got to stick to the task at hand.”
OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting, while Towns and
Mikal Bridges both had 17, with Towns adding six rebounds and six
assists in just 20 minutes.
After trailing 2-1 against Atlanta, the Knicks have won four
straight games by a total of 135 points. They are the first team
since detailed play-by-play began in 1996-97 to lead three straight
playoff games by at least 30 points, according to Sportradar.
Brunson said the Knicks' focus and attention to detail have been
better since they fell behind.
“Yes, it’s turned into obviously big wins, but those attention to
detail things are going to help us in the close ones as well,”
Brunson said.
Game 2 is Wednesday night before the series shifts to Philadelphia —
with Joel Embiid already pleading with 76ers fans not to sell their
tickets to Knicks fans when it does.
But the 76ers didn't exactly give their fans much reason to want to
keep them Monday.
Paul George scored 17 points for Philadelphia. Embiid shot just 3
for 11 for his 14 points and Tyrese Maxey had just 13, not making
his first basket until five minutes into the second quarter.
The 76ers had just one full day off after winning in Boston on
Saturday night to complete the NBA's 14th comeback from a 3-1
deficit. But they looked more like the team that lost twice by 32
points in the first four games to fall into that deficit.
[to top of second column] |
New York Knicks' Og Anunoby, right, drives past Philadelphia 76ers'
Justin Edwards during the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA
basketball playoffs series Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. (AP
Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Knicks had a much easier first round — and
finished it with one of the easiest games in NBA playoff history.
They crushed Atlanta 140-89 on Thursday in Game 6, setting a
postseason record by building a 47-point halftime lead.
There were long stretches Monday that looked similar.
“They were obviously picking us apart, moving a lot better than we
were,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.
The Knicks scored eight straight points midway through the second
quarter to extend a 10-point lead to 57-39, and Brunson scored their
final 11 points, capped by a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining,
to make it 74-51 at halftime.
Towns' 3-pointer made it 90-60 about five minutes into the second
half and it was mostly reserves from there. Brunson played only 31
minutes, perhaps the only reason he didn't reach 40 points for a
fourth straight playoff game against the 76ers.
He averaged 35.5 points in a first-round series against the 76ers in
2024 and closed it with three straight 40-point games, including a
franchise playoff-record 47 in Game 4.
The 76ers still haven't figured out a way to stop him.
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