Knicks make NBA history with 137-98 rout of 76ers
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- Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his 35 points in the first half as the Knicks built a 74-51 halftime lead and led by as many as 40 in the 137-98 rout of Philadelphia.
- The New York Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points, shooting 63% from the field in the dominant performance.
- New York have now won four straight games by a combined 135 points after trailing 2-1 against Atlanta, and are the first team since detailed play-by-play began in 1996-97 to lead three straight playoff games by at least 30 points (per Sportradar).
- Joel Embiid shot just 3-for-11 for 14 points and Tyrese Maxey didn't hit his first basket until five minutes into the second quarter, finishing with 13, as the 76ers looked gassed one day after completing the NBA's 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit in Boston.
- OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting off the bench, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each chipped in 17 — Towns logging just 20 minutes before the reserves finished the blowout.
- Brunson played only 31 minutes, falling short of a fourth straight 40-point playoff game against Philadelphia; he averaged 35.5 points in a 2024 first-round series vs the 76ers, including a franchise playoff-record 47 in Game 4.
- Game 2 is Wednesday night at MSG before the series shifts to Philadelphia, where Embiid has already publicly pleaded with 76ers fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks supporters.
Why it matters: The Knicks' historic blowout run gives them a commanding series start, with Brunson now averaging 35.5 points across two postseasons against a Philadelphia team that has no answer for him. The 76ers had just one day off after a 3-1 comeback in Boston, and Embiid's 3-for-11 shooting exposed how thin their margin is when their stars don't show up.
