The New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 at Madison Square Garden and won the first round of the NBA East semifinals thanks to an enormous shooting success by Mike Brown’s men and a spectacular game by Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks star led the locals with 35 points and 3 assists (12 of 18 on field goals) to start the conference semifinals with an advantage before the 76ers threw in the towel at halftime against the superior New York team.
He was supported by OG Anunoby (18 points, 7 of 8 field goals), Mikal Bridges (17 points, 7 of 10 field goals) and Karl-Anthony Towns (17 points, 7 of 11 field goals) in a game where all members of New York’s starting five, including Josh Hart (8 points), were up to the task.
The Knicks reached the semifinals after dispatching Atlanta in six games with the largest victory in franchise history (89-140): a 47-point margin at halftime (NBA postseason record) and a 61-point lead in the third quarter.
For their part, the 76ers had just pulled off a surprise in Game 7 in Boston, after the Philadelphia team came back from a series in which they were down 3-1.
The Madison Square Garden court felt the initial tension of the conference semifinal. Both New York and Philadelphia treated each other with respect, conceding practically nothing in the initial moments of the meeting.
After ten minutes of play, the score had changed sides up to ten times, a sign of equality on the court. Joel Embiid, who was greeted with hostile chants from the home fans, took more than five minutes to score his first points of the night.
In NY, a spectacular fall by Karl-Anthony Towns made Mitchell Robinson become an unexpected protagonist in the opening stages. The backup center was the target of several fouls by the 76ers to force his free throw errors and missed on all four of his attempts.
The Knicks’ focus was on their star, New York’s No. 11 had a sensational first quarter with 14 points (6 of 9 field goals). Thanks to him and the triples from Miles McBride and OG Anunoby, the Knicks closed an 8-point lead after the first quarter.
🏆 PLAYOFF BRACKET 🏆
▪️@nyknicks take 1-0 series lead in East Semis
▪️@Timberwolves secure 1-0 series lead in West SemisThe NBA Playoffs presented by @Google continue on Tuesday with two more Conference Semifinal Game 1s on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN. pic.twitter.com/evuEABXPXe
—NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2026
open the gap
Without Brunson on the court due to rest, Karl-Anthony Towns returned to the hardwood, already recovered from his fall, and put the team on his back. The Dominican, born in New Jersey, dominated the offensive game and brought together rebounds in defense and attack.
The 76ers did not find enough reaction for the Knicks who overwhelmed them more and more as the game progressed. Only Paul George showed rebellion, going 3 of 4 on triples.
The Knicks continued doing their thing and went to the locker room with a surprising lead of 23 points and 74-51 on the scoreboard, the second best score in franchise history at halftime in the playoff only behind the 83 points scored in their last game against Atlanta.
Brunson scored 27 points in the first half and became the second player in franchise history to score that many points at halftime in the postseason.
Sentenced party
After the break, the Knicks did not slow down and continued to widen the gap on Philadelphia with a brilliant success in their field goals (72.2%) that allowed Mike Brown’s team to reach the last quarter at half speed with a 31-point advantage over the rival (109-78).
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse barely gave any minutes to Embiid in the entire second half, who finished the game with 24 minutes on the court, while Puerto Rican Jose Alvarado, born in Brooklyn, added 5 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Up to 14 players from the New York squad scored, a record for the most diversity in points in NBA history.
In Philadelphia, Paul George was the leading scorer with 17 points, Embiid contributed another 14 and Tyrese Maxey (13 points), Kelly Oubre Jr. (12 points) and VJ Edgecombe (12 points) also recorded double figures.
After taking New York the first game this Monday and making it 1-0 in this playoff semifinal, the Knicks will welcome the 76ers again at Madison Square Garden next Wednesday.
(With a report from Jan TĂ©llez Asensio, from EFE)
