Miles Mcbride Can’t Stop 137-98 Knicks Rout of 76ers
Miles Mcbride helped set the tone, and Mikal Bridges finished the job. The Knicks beat the 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Monday, taking a 1-0 lead while Bridges held Tyrese Maxey to 13 points and added 17 of his own.
Bridges Opens Fast For New York
Bridges scored the first bucket of the game on a quick layup assisted by Josh Hart, then kept the pressure on Philadelphia with a 17-point night on 7-for-10 shooting. New York did not need him to carry the scoring load for long, but it did need him to be sharp at both ends after an uneven first-round series against Atlanta.
That matters because Bridges had drawn criticism after scoring in single figures in three of the first five games against Atlanta. Brown’s faith in him paid off in Game 6 against Atlanta, and Monday’s start gave the Knicks another reminder of why he stayed in the lineup when some pushed for Miles Mcbride to replace him.
Maxey Held To 13
Tyrese Maxey ran into a different kind of problem in the series opener. Bridges and OG Anunoby held him to 13 points on 3-for-9 shooting, a drop that snapped a run of production that had him averaging 26.9 points in Philadelphia’s seven-game first-round series against Boston.
He finished under 20 points for the first time since Feb. 23. The Knicks were built to chase Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the perimeter, and that structure carried over here even though Philadelphia was the opponent on the floor.
Brunson Sticks With Bridges
Jalen Brunson backed the wing’s impact after the win. “He’s a huge factor for us and he’s been playing great,” Brunson said of Bridges.
Brunson also described the daily work behind that production: “There are times throughout the season when every player has his ups and downs, but he stays mentally strong and he stays mentally focused. He comes into work and does his work and his routine and all that stuff. As long as you keep chipping away, things are going to fall in your favor.”
The score gives New York a clean 1-0 series lead, and the matchup shifts with Bridges already having shown he can swing the game on defense and still deliver 17 points. Philadelphia now has to solve the same wing pressure after one of its fastest guards was held to 13, while the Knicks have the kind of start that leaves little room for a reset.
