The Knicks are making history! New York just sent a massive message to the league with a 137-98 demolition of the 76ers in Game 1; Yankee Scores reports.
Jalen Brunson added 27 of his 35 points in the first half, and the New York Knicks emphatically added to a historic postseason roll by overpowering 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.
Balanced Scoring
O.G. Anunoby scored 18 points and shot 7-of-8 for his team. On the other hand, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each put up 17 points in the match.
Knicks have won their last four games following the 2-1 loss to Atlanta, leading by an average of 135 points over the span. Their last three wins have come by an average of 119 points, the most per game in three-game stretches in NBA playoffs’ history, according to ESPN Research.
a dominant game ☝️ at @TheGarden 💪 pic.twitter.com/IipZmfv9C5
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 5, 2026
“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 will take place Wednesday night before the whole series shifts to Philadelphia where Joel Embiid has already asked the Sixers fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans for Game 3.
Sixers’ Struggles
However, the 76ers provided their home crowd very little to get excited about Monday.
Philadelphia’s best scorer on the night was Paul George, contributing 17 points. Embiid managed just 14 points shooting 3-for-11 while Tyrese Maxey added 13 points, not making any shots in the first quarter.
The 76ers got only one day off after their 116-99 victory in Boston on Saturday night. It marked their comeback from a 3-1 deficit becoming the 14th in NBA playoffs’ history. But on Monday, they played like a team that was losing its first four games by 32 on average.
On the other hand, Knicks faced much less trouble in their first-round series, finishing it with an absolute highlight.
They won the sixth game of their first-round series against Atlanta 140-89 on Thursday, establishing a new NBA playoffs’ record of a 47-point halftime advantage.
Their game on Monday had a similar look.
Brunson’s Brilliance
New York increased their advantage to 57-39 on the eight-point run with 3:33 left in the second quarter, then ended the first half scoring 23 points in the final 3:45. Brunson scored the final 11 points for Knicks before ending the first half making the last shot from three which made their lead 74-51 heading to the locker room.
love to see it, 2️⃣! pic.twitter.com/1NBkg9TGn0
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 5, 2026
Brunson’s three made the score 90-60, opening the third quarter, and from there, all players in uniform started getting a rest. Brunson was on the court for just 31 minutes, probably the only reason why he did not manage to score 40+ points for the fourth game running against the 76ers.
In his previous season Brunson averaged 35.5 points in the first-round series against Philadelphia, finishing that series scoring 40+ points in three consecutive games, 47 being his franchise playoffs’ record set in Game 4.
