Mike Brown Leads Knicks Game Rout 137-98 Over 76ers
The Knicks turned their knicks game opener into a 137-98 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, taking Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals by 39 points. New York did it with a shot-making night that kept Philadelphia from ever settling in.
Brunson Sets the Pace
Jalen Brunson led New York with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting. OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and the Knicks made 53 of their 84 shots, a finishing line that left the 76ers chasing the game from early on.
Mike Brown said the attack has become more useful when the group leans into the same principles on both ends. “It’s a lot of fun when you have concepts on either end of the floor and guys are trying to embrace those concepts at the highest level,” he said. “When they do, it doesn’t really matter what you call or initiates the action because guys are trying to play the right way. It can be any team out on the floor. If they’re trying to embrace what you’re throwing out there, sacrificing, all of that other stuff, it can be a lot of fun to watch.”
Embiid Faces New York
Philadelphia tried to use Joel Embiid as the back line of its defense, but the Knicks still found room to score in bunches. Karl-Anthony Towns was described as mastering an offense in which he had often felt lost, a turn that matches how cleanly New York has played through this stretch.
The numbers have stacked up quickly. The Knicks have outscored opponents by 135 points dating back to Game 4 against the Hawks in the first round, and they have scored over 125 points in three of those four games. That run gives the 137-point outburst against Philadelphia a sharper edge than a single blowout.
New York’s Four-Game Surge
The best sign for New York is the range of ways the offense is working. The scoring has held up against different looks, and the 76ers were left trying to solve the same problem after Brown’s group kept the pace and efficiency high enough to turn Game 1 into a one-sided opener.
For Philadelphia, the margin leaves little room to hide before the next meeting. For the Knicks, 137 points and a 39-point cushion are the standard now, and the series starts with New York having already shown it can punish a defense built around Embiid.
