Knicks stay on historic roll, crush 76ers by 39 in Game 1
NEW YORK -- 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 Monday night.
"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 Townsand Mikal Bridges both had 17. Towns added 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. Over the past three games, the Knicks have a total margin of victory of 119 points, the largest point-per-game differential in a three-game span in NBA playoff history, according to ESPN Research.
"They're trying to focus on the details no matter what the score is," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "They're still trying to stay locked in. And it shows by, you know, whether we're up double digits or not, we're still diving on the floor for loose balls. We're still trying to get out in transition and get to the corners to put pressure on the defense. You know, we're still trying to play the right way."
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 for Game 3.
But the 76ers didn't 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.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.br/]
