Knicks open conference semifinal, press 76ers in Game 1
- New York opened the East semifinals by flattening Philadelphia 137-98 on Monday, May 4, at Madison Square Garden, with Jalen Brunson scoring 35. - The game was basically over by halftime at 74-51, and the Knicks became the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by 25-plus. - That matters because New York has now won four straight postseason games by 135 combined points, while Philadelphia entered on one day’s rest.
The game everyone expected to be a half-court grind turned into a demolition. New York beat Philadelphia 137-98 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday, May 4, and the important part wasn’t just the score. It was how easy the Knicks made everything look. They were sharper, faster into actions, and way more forceful on both ends. Philadelphia never really got the game into the kind of slow, possession-by-possession fight that usually gives a road underdog a chance. (nba.com) ### Why does the blowout matter so much? Because this wasn’t one hot shooting night out of nowhere. The Knicks have now won four straight playoff games, and the margin across those wins is absurd — 135 total points. Monday’s win also made them the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points. That tells you this is bigger than “they stole Game 1.”(nba.com)reak a series open early. (nba.com) ### What did Brunson actually do? Jalen Brunson scored 35, but the real damage came early. He put up 27 in the first half and closed the second quarter with New York’s final 11 points, including a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left that sent the building into a frenzy and pushed the halftime lead to 74-51. That shot felt like the emotional end of the game, even though there were 24 minutes l(nba.com)mixes in pull-up 3s, the Knicks’ whole offense starts to look unfair. (espn.com) ### Was it only Brunson? Not even close. OG Anunoby had 18 on 7-for-8 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each scored 17, and Towns added six rebounds and six assists in only 20 minutes. That’s the scary part for Philadelphia — New York didn’t need a desperate, stars-only game. The Knicks got scoring, ball movement, and efficient finishing from multiple places, which meant ev(espn.com)e. (nba.com) ### What went wrong for Philadelphia? The top-end guys never established control. Paul George led the Sixers with 17. Joel Embiid had 14 and shot 3-for-11. Tyrese Maxey scored 13 and didn’t make his first basket until five minutes into the second quarter. That is a brutal formula against a locked-in defense. If Embiid and Maxey aren’t bending the game, the rest of Philadelphia’s offense g(nba.com) bailouts. (espn.com) ### Did rest play a role? It sure looked like it. Philadelphia had only one full day off after finishing a seven-game first-round comeback in Boston on Saturday, while New York had already closed out Atlanta and looked fresh. That doesn’t excuse losing by 39, but it helps explain why the Sixers looked a step slow rotating, containing the ball, and getting into their own offense. The Kni(espn.com)ike the team still carrying the last series in their legs. (espn.com) ### So what changes in Game 2? Philadelphia has to make this uglier and smaller. Fewer live-ball mistakes. Better point-of-attack defense. More early success from Embiid and Maxey so New York can’t just flow into its comfort game. The series is not over at 1-0, but the catch is that Game 1 exposed a real gap in force and freshness — and if the Sixers don’t close that fast, this can get (espn.com)ame 2 is set for Wednesday, May 6, in New York. (nba.com) ### Bottom line? This was supposed to be a test. Instead, it looked like a warning. The Knicks didn’t just beat the Sixers — they pressed on every weak spot and turned the opener into another entry in a suddenly historic playoff run. (nba.com)
