The New York Knicks walked into Wells Fargo Center on Sunday and treated it like a second home, drilling the Philadelphia 76ers 144-114 to finish off a second-round sweep. The knockout blow came from beyond the arc, where the Knicks splashed 25 3-pointers and watched reserve guard Deuce McBride morph into a flamethrower off the bench. McBride poured in 25 points and hit seven 3s, while Jalen Brunson added 22 and Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 17 apiece. The result: New York is headed back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.
Knicks' 3-point barrage set the tone early
New York did not bother easing into this one. The Knicks came out blazing from deep, hitting 11 of 13 3-point attempts in the first quarter and building a cushion the Sixers never seriously threatened. By the time the dust settled, they had 25 made 3s, tying the postseason single-game mark, with 18 of those coming before halftime as McBride and the bench kept launching and connecting. As reported by ClickOnDetroit, New York took an 81-57 lead into the break and never let Philadelphia crawl back into contention.
Stars and role players combined
Brunson's 22 points came inside a balanced, stress-free night for the Knicks' offense, with both starters and reserves feasting in the blowout. Hart and Towns matched each other with 17 points, filling in the gaps around the hot shooting outside. On the other side, Joel Embiid finished with 24 points and Tyrese Maxey had 17, but Philadelphia could not keep pace with New York's volume from the perimeter, no matter who was on the floor. For those who want every last number, the full box score and live game stats are available at CBS Sports.
What's next for the Knicks
Now the Knicks get to put their feet up and wait. They will face the winner of the Cleveland-Detroit series, where the Pistons currently lead 2-1, with the Eastern Conference finals set to start next week. The sweep gives head coach Mike Brown a few bonus days to rest his core players and tinker with rotations before the next challenge rolls in, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Fan takeover and momentum
Knicks fans did their part to make Philly feel like Midtown South, flooding the building with blue and orange, waving brooms and whipping around “Always Knicks” towels as the scoreboard tilted further and further in New York's favor. The sweep keeps the Knicks' postseason momentum roaring, while buying them nearly a week to heal up and lock in for a conference finals showdown that could decide whether this group finally makes the leap everyone in that traveling fan base is loudly expecting.
