Knicks, Timberwolves advance; 76ers to Game 7
- The Knicks crushed the Hawks 140-89 in Game 6, the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets 110-98, and the 76ers topped the Celtics 106-93 Thursday. (espn.com) - New York led 83-36 at halftime in a record-setting rout, while Jaden McDaniels scored a career-high 32 to send Minnesota into round two. (espn.com) - That leaves Boston and Philadelphia tied 3-3 for Saturday’s Game 7, while Minnesota now draws top-seeded San Antonio in the West semis. (nba.com)
The NBA playoffs got three very different answers on Thursday night. New York ended a series with a historic demolition. Minnesota survived without An(espn.com) the opposite of ending anything — it dragged Boston into a Game 7. Put together, that’s a bracket-shifting night, not just a busy one. (es([espn.com)# How bad was the Knicks blowout? Really bad — and weirdly historic. The Knicks beat the Hawks 140-89 in Atlanta, won the series 4-2, and t(nba.com)y were up 40-15 after one quarter and 83-36 at the break, which ESPN and NBA coverage flagged as record territory for playoff margin and first-half dominance. OG Anunoby scored 29, and Karl-Anthony Towns posted a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. (espn.com) ### Why does that matter(espn.com)This one wasn’t. New York didn’t just advance — it announced that its top-end lineup can bury a team early and keep piling on. The Knicks also now get extra rest while waiting for either Boston or Philadelphia, and when a team wins a playoff game by 51, the conversation changes from “survive the round” to “how real is this run?” (espn.com) ### How did Minnesota finish off Denver? By making the series uglier than Denver wanted and the(espn.com)ggets 110-98 in Minneapolis to take the series 4-2, even though Edwards was out with a knee injury. Jaden McDaniels had the game of his playoff life with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gobert added 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, and Minnesota kept finding enough defense and enough size to make Denver work for everything. (nba.com) ### Wh(espn.com) some random upset. Denver was the No. 3 seed, Nikola Jokić nearly had a triple-double with 28 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, and the Nuggets were only three years removed from their championship. But Minnesota’s size kept showing up as a real problem in this matchup, and the Wolves closed the series without their biggest scorer available. That makes the result feel sturdier, not flukier. (nba.com) ### What changed (nba.com)ontrol. The 76ers beat Boston 106-93 and, more importantly, outscored the Celtics 62-40 across the second and third quarters. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 30 points, while Joel Embiid gave Philadelphia 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. After trailing 3-1 in the series, the Sixers have now won two straight and pushed the matchup all the way back to Boston. (nba.com) ### So what does Saturda(nba.com)on, with the series tied 3-3. ESPN’s schedule page listed the Celtics as 7.5-point favorites early Friday, which tells you the market still trusts Boston’s home floor even after two straight Philadelphia wins. That’s the tension now: Boston still has the venue and the edge on paper, but the series momentum belongs to Philly. (espn.com) ### What opens up next? Minnesota already knows its next opponent — San Antonio in t(nba.com) Celtics-Sixers to finish. That split matters. The Wolves can start preparing now. The Knicks get rest, but not clarity. (nba.com) ### Bottom line? Thursday didn’t just produce winners. It redrew the feel of the bracket. The Knicks look terrifying, the Timberwolves look tougher than expected, and the Celtics just lost the luxury of ending this quietly. (espn([espn.com)69393))
