The Knicks and 76ers meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 set for Monday, May 4, at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m. ET. The Knicks enter as the No. 3 seed after a 53-29 regular season, while the 76ers arrive as the No. 7 seed after finishing 45-37 and stunning the No. 2 seed Celtics in seven games. The Knicks went 30-10 at home, while the 76ers went 22-19 on the road.
The Knicks closed the first round by beating the Hawks 140-89 in Game 6, their most complete performance of the playoffs. The 76ers had a much harder path, coming back from a 3-1 deficit and winning Game 7 against the Celtics 109-100 behind 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists from Joel Embiid and 30 points and 11 rebounds from Tyrese Maxey.
The regular-season series was split 2-2. The 76ers won the first two games, 116-107 and 130-119, before the Knicks answered with 112-109 and 138-89 wins. Every game was won by the road team, which is an important note before the series opens at Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson averaged 26.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists this season on 46.7% from the field, 36.9% from three, and 84.1% from the line. Karl-Anthony Towns added 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 50.1% from the field, 36.8% from three, and 85.8% from the line. For the 76ers, Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on 46.2% from the field and 36.7% from three, while Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 48.9% from the field.
Injury Report
Knicks
Jeremy Sochan: Probable (left hamstring tightness)
76ers
Joel Embiid: Probable (right hip contusion)
Tyrese Maxey: Available (right finger tendon strain, splint)
Knicks Analysis For The Series
The Knicks have the cleaner profile entering the series. They were better over 82 games, they have home-court advantage, and their first-round closeout gave them more rest than the 76ers. That is not a small detail. The 76ers played a Game 7 on Saturday, used heavy minutes for their main players, and now have a quick turnaround against a deeper, more physical Knicks team. Four 76ers played at least 39 minutes in Game 7 against the Celtics.
The biggest Knicks advantage is depth. The Knicks had the second-ranked bench in the playoffs and outscored the Hawks by 29.0 points per 100 possessions in Miles McBride’s 118 first-round minutes. The 76ers were on the opposite side of that. Their bench ranked 13th in the first round and was outscored by 18.4 points per 100 possessions in Paul George’s 76 minutes off the floor.
That gives Mike Brown more options. The Knicks can play Brunson with McBride for more ball pressure. They can use Mikal Bridges on Maxey if they want length. They can use Josh Hart as a physical guard defender. They can use Mitchell Robinson as a second center when Towns needs protection from foul trouble. The 76ers can still win the top-end talent minutes, but the Knicks have more ways to survive bad stretches.
Towns is the matchup that can tilt the series. Embiid is stronger and more dominant inside, but Towns can make him defend 25 feet from the rim. That is the kind of stress the Celtics could not consistently create once Embiid returned. If Towns hits pick-and-pop threes, slips into short-roll playmaking, and keeps Embiid moving, the 76ers will have to choose between protecting the paint and giving up clean spacing.
The Knicks also have a rebounding edge. The 76ers were vulnerable on the defensive glass all season, ranking 27th in defensive rebounding rate, while the Knicks ranked seventh in offensive rebounding rate. That is a direct pressure point. If the 76ers defend well for 20 seconds and then give up a Robinson tip-out or a Hart offensive board, the possession becomes exhausting.
76ers Analysis For The Series
The 76ers’ path is simple but difficult: Embiid has to look close to himself, Maxey has to win the guard battle often, and George has to punish the Knicks when they overload toward the two stars. The 76ers are not as deep as the Knicks, and their bench numbers are a real concern, but their top four can make any series uncomfortable.
Embiid changed the Celtics series as soon as he returned. In four games against the Celtics, he averaged 28.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists with only 2.0 turnovers per game. That version of Embiid gives the 76ers a half-court anchor. He can score from the elbows, draw fouls, pass over traps, and force the Knicks into early rotation.
Maxey is the other major issue for the Knicks. He brings the speed that can bend their defense before it gets set. The Knicks had problems with fast guard pressure during the season, and this is not just about Maxey scoring 30. It is about forcing Brunson to defend, making Towns move laterally, and creating corner threes for George, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr.
The concern is health. Embiid is probable with a right hip contusion, and the official injury report also lists Maxey as available with a right finger tendon strain and splint. That does not mean Maxey will be limited, but it does mean the 76ers are entering another series with their stars carrying physical issues. Against a rested Knicks team, that risk grows every game.
The 76ers also need to control turnovers and transition defense. The Knicks can grind in the half-court, but they are much more dangerous when Brunson gets early drag screens or when Anunoby runs into open space. If the 76ers miss long threes and let the Knicks attack before Embiid is set, the series can get away from them fast.
Key Factors
OG Anunoby may be the most important non-star in the series. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in the regular season while shooting 48.4% from the field and 38.6% from three. In the first round, he jumped to 21.5 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field and 56.7% from three.
His defense will be just as important. Anunoby can guard George, switch onto Maxey in late-clock possessions, and help at the nail when Embiid faces up. The Knicks do not need him to be a 25-point scorer every night, but they need him to stay aggressive. If he hits open threes, attacks closeouts, and keeps George from finding rhythm, the Knicks become very hard to beat.
Mitchell Robinson is the Embiid foul buffer. He averaged only 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 19.6 minutes during the regular season, but his role in this series is bigger than his stat line. The Knicks need him to absorb contact, crash the glass, and give Towns possessions away from the hardest defensive assignment.
In the first round, Robinson averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in just 14 minutes per game. The Knicks outscored the Hawks by 20.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. That matters here because every Robinson minute gives the Knicks more size, more rim pressure, and more offensive rebounding.
VJ Edgecombe is not a normal rookie anymore. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in the regular season, and his Game 7 against the Celtics showed why the 76ers trust him. Edgecombe had 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 44 minutes, including five made threes.
The Knicks will test his decision-making. They will make him handle physical closeouts, defend without fouling, and read help when Embiid or Maxey gets doubled. If Edgecombe plays like a fourth star, the 76ers have enough offense to win this series. If he looks like a rookie under pressure, the 76ers may not have enough depth to cover it.
Paul George is the swing veteran. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists during the regular season on 43.9% from the field and 39.2% from three. In the playoffs, he has averaged 17.4 points and shot 55.0% from three.
The 76ers need that shooting to continue. George does not have to dominate the ball, but he has to make the Knicks pay when they send bodies toward Embiid and Maxey. He also has to defend Anunoby, Bridges, and sometimes Brunson switches. If George is only a spot-up shooter, the Knicks can live with it. If he is a two-way creator, the 76ers have a real chance.
Series Prediction
The 76ers have the top-end shot creation to make this a real series. Embiid and Maxey are good enough to win two games by themselves, and George and Edgecombe give them enough shooting to punish soft help. But the Knicks have more answers. Their bench is better, their rebounding edge is clear, and their defensive versatility gives them more ways to adjust. The 76ers just played a draining seven-game series, while the Knicks enter with more rest and a cleaner rotation. My read is that Embiid wins one game, Maxey wins another, but the Knicks’ depth and frontcourt options decide the series.
Winner: Knicks in 6
