Knicks Rout 76ers by 39 at Madison Square Garden
The Knicks opened their conference semifinal series with a 39-point win over the 76ers at madison square garden on Monday night. The margin turned Game 1 into the night’s clearest result in New York, even with the 2026 Met Gala happening across the city.
Knicks 76ers Game 1
New York beat Philadelphia by 39 points in Game 1, a finish that left no room for a late push from the Sixers. The Knicks, 76ers, Timberwolves and Spurs were all playing conference semifinal openers on Monday night, but New York produced the most lopsided score of the group.
The win gave the Knicks an emphatic start to the series. A Game 1 margin that large changes the shape of the matchup immediately, because Philadelphia now has to answer a blowout rather than a narrow loss.
Timothée Chalamet at MSG
Timothée Chalamet skipped the Met Gala to watch the Knicks instead. That made him one of the most visible names attached to the game, and it linked the evening’s basketball result to a night when New York’s other major event was unfolding at the same time.
The overlap was part of the story all night. The 2026 Met Gala took place Monday night in New York City, and Sports Illustrated tracked athletes there including Steph Curry, Justin Jefferson and Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, while Paige Bueckers made her Met Gala debut.
Monday Night Across New York
The crossover between the two events gave the Knicks’ result an extra layer of attention. For New York sports fans, the score at madison square garden came first: a 39-point advantage that put the series in their favor before the focus shifted back to the city’s other showcase events.
Monday also brought a separate shakeup elsewhere in the league, with the Magic firing head coach Jamahl Mosley after the team blew a 3-1 series lead against the Pistons and exited in the first round. Sabrina Ionescu rolled her ankle on Sunday and is slated to miss a bit of time, adding another New York-related note to a busy night.
