Knicks 144, 76ers 114: New York Makes Franchise NBA Playoff History, Completes Sweep of 76ers

The Knicks are trying to close out the Sixers in Philadelphia on Sunday.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led the team to a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Knicks completed their sweep of the 76ers in dominant fashion on Sunday. Their 144–114 win in Game 4 sends them to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, and they made some history along the way. The 144 points New York scored are a franchise record for a playoff game.

This series wasn’t close, and New York has now reeled off seven wins in a row. While Philadelphia gave its best effort, the team was no match for a Knicks squad that is peaking at the right time. They will have some time to rest before the next round, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at our takeaways for both teams from this series.

Jalen Brunson is championship closer

Every NBA champion needs an elite closer, and Jalen Brunson has proven he fits that bill this postseason. In Game 2 against the Sixers, he hit two huge buckets late to secure a win in a contest that featured 25 lead changes. He followed up that performance by scoring 33 on the road in Game 3. Even in Game 4, which was over almost before it began, Brunson was excellent, scoring 22 points, with six assists and four rebounds. He was 6-for-10 from three-point range.

New York’s star guard is the third-leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 27.4 points per game. He’s behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28.3) and Cade Cunningham (30.2), both of whom lead the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences. Brunson’s scoring isn’t his biggest contribution to the Knicks. When he’s on and energetic, the team’s entire offense takes a big leap forward around him.

The 29-year-old point guard didn’t need to do too much in Game 4 on Sunday, but he’ll be the focal point of everything the Knicks do moving forward this postseason. He’ll need to be at his best for the rest of the playoffs.

The 76ers need to retool

Joel Embiid’s future is an open question after the 76ers’ loss. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The 76ers’ remarkable comeback from down 3–1 against the Celtics in the opening round has been entirely forgotten as they were swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks. Joel Embiid did what he could, but the team’s roster is ill-constructed. Unfortunately, there isn’t much they can do this offseason given the massive deals owed to Embiid and Paul George. Something has to change.

Anyone watching this postseason can see that Philadelphia’s future will be centered around guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. The team should be built around them. That will be hard to do with Embiid owed nearly $188 million over the next three seasons, while George will make $54.1 next year, and holds a player option for $56.6 for the 2027–28 campaign. It’s hard to see either player going anywhere.

Maxey and Edgecombe need help, but there may not be any on the way, given that Philadelphia is set to be over the cap, and that’s without considering whether they re-sign any of their impending free agents. It’s going to be a fascinating offseason in Philly. We’ll see if they can do anything to help their two young guards.

The Knicks can win it all

As this series showed quite clearly, when the Knicks are rolling, they can beat anyone in the NBA. Other than the defending champion Thunder, they have been the best team in the playoffs this year. Even without OG Anunoby in the final two games against the conference semifinals, New York held the Sixers to an average of 102 points, while averaging 124.3 per game. The team excelled on both ends of the floor.

After Sunday’s win, the Knicks have reeled off seven straight wins after falling behind the Hawks 2–1 in their opening round series. They got things together quickly and are now cruising. If they can get Anunoby back from his hamstring injury, they have a great chance to reach the NBA Finals. In the conference finals, they’ll face either the Pistons or Cavaliers, both of whom were pushed to seven games in the opening round, and neither has been as impressive as New York in the postseason.

Given their ability to lock down on defense and the depth of talent on the team, New York might be the only team left that can challenge Oklahoma City. The Thunder have largely cruised in the playoffs, while the Knicks have had some late-game battles. Their balance and grit are hard to ignore.

Relive our live blog and game preview below.

Live updates: Knicks vs. 76ers in Game 4

Knicks vs. 76ers series: What to know entering Game 4

Jalen Brunson enters Sunday’s game averaging 31.3 points and 6.0 assists in the series, while shooting 52.5% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range. He has won the battle against Tyrese Maxey so far. Meanwhile, the Knicks’ defense has held Philly in check, allowing an average of 98 points per game.

The Knicks aren’t fully healthy, as OG Anunby is questionable for Game 4 after missing Game 3 with a hamstring strain. He had 18 points in Game 1 and 24 in Game 2. Mikal Bridges has stepped up his scoring in this series, averaging 19.3 points per game after only putting up 10.0 per game in the opening round.

As for Maxey, he’s only averaged 18.7 points per game in this series, far below the 26.9 he put up against Boston.

Joel Embiid missed Game 2 of the series, but was on the floor for a 108-94 loss in Game 3 and had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. The 76ers need more out of him if they’re going to turn this thing around.

The Sixers need something special on Sunday, while the Knicks are trying to close out the series in dominant fashion to earn a rest before the conference finals.

How we got here

• Game 1: Knicks 137, 76ers 98
• Game 2: Knicks 108, 76ers 102
• Game 3: Knicks 108, 76ers 94

The Knicks set the tone for the series with a 137-98 blowout victory in Game 1.

Brunson finished with 35 points and scored 27 of those in the first half as the Knicks dropped 74 points before the break. Anunoby (18), Bridges (17) and Karl-Anthony Towns (17) all had big games, as New York shot 63% from the field, and went 19-for-37 (51%) from three-point range. It was thorough domination.

Game 2 was a tight battle that featured 25 lead changes and 14 ties. Neither team led by more than seven points at any time. The Knicks edged out a 108-102 win after Brunson closed like a star and Philadelphia went cold.

Game 3 was also a closer contest, but Brunson’s 33 points were too much for the Knicks to handle. He started the game 2-for-8 from the field but finished 11-for-22 in a 108-94 win.

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