Overview
- New York routed Philadelphia 137-98 on Monday in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, prompting Nick Nurse to sit most Sixers starters late in the third quarter.
- Jalen Brunson scored 35 points as the Knicks shot 63% from the field and 51% from three, overwhelming a defense that struggled to track screens and close out.
- Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combined to shoot 6-for-20, with Embiid at 14 points and Maxey at 13, in a night where the Sixers never found rhythm.
- The lopsided opener followed Saturday’s 109-100 Game 7 win in Boston that capped Philadelphia’s 3-1 comeback, raising fresh questions about fatigue after the rapid two-day turnaround and Embiid’s recent appendectomy.
- As the series shifts to Game 2, analysts like Danny Green say Philadelphia’s chances hinge on how healthy Embiid stays, while Jaylen Brown’s Twitch claims of a refereeing “agenda” linger without word of a league probe.