Deuce Loose: Knicks Torch Sixers With Record-Setting Barrage to Complete the Sweep

The New York Knicks dismantled the Philadelphia 76ers 144-114 on Sunday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena — a game that stopped being competitive roughly four minutes after tipoff — to sweep their Eastern Conference Semifinals series and book a second consecutive trip to the conference finals. It was the most points the Knicks have ever scored in a playoff game, and the manner in which they scored them was historically absurd.

New York went 25-for-44 from three-point range. That's 56.8 percent. That ties the NBA playoff record for most threes made in a single game. They hit 11 in the first quarter alone — also a record — and 18 by halftime, tying another. The Knicks scored 54 of their 81 first-half points from beyond the arc. Philadelphia, as a team, scored 57 in the entire half.

The Sixers' only lead of the game was 2-0.

Deuce McBride's Statement Game

With OG Anunoby sidelined for the second straight game due to a hamstring strain, Miles "Deuce" McBride got the start and turned in one of the most electric performances of the 2026 postseason. He finished with 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including a blistering 7-of-9 from three.

McBride set the tone immediately. With Knicks fans filling the Philly arena and chanting his name, he ripped off four consecutive three-pointers to open the game, staking New York to a 20-6 lead before most of the crowd had settled into their seats. He became the first Knick to hit four threes in the first quarter of a playoff game since play-by-play tracking began in 1997.

The rest of the roster followed his lead. Jalen Brunson went 6-of-10 from deep and finished with 22 points and 6 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns posted 17 points and 10 assists. Josh Hart added 17 points and 9 rebounds. Landry Shamet chipped in 13 off the bench on 3-of-5 shooting from three.

Four different Knicks hit four or more threes while shooting better than 50 percent from deep. That's not a stat line — that's target practice.

A Historic Postseason Run

The sweep is New York's first in a best-of-seven series since 1999, when they dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But the broader numbers paint an even more dominant picture.

Through 10 playoff games this postseason, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by a combined 194 points — the best point differential over a 10-game span in NBA playoff history. Their 19.4-point average margin of victory through the first two rounds is the largest since the NBA expanded to a 16-team playoff format in 1984. They've recorded 12 wins by 30 or more points this season (including playoffs), tying the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Thunder for the most in a single season in league history.

This isn't a team sneaking into the conference finals. This is a team announcing itself.

Philly's Painful Exit

For the Sixers, the ending is familiar. Joel Embiid finished with 24 points in what might have been his final game of yet another injury-plagued season. Tyrese Maxey had 17. The energy gap between the two teams was visible from the opening possession — something coach Nick Nurse acknowledged after the game.

Philadelphia hasn't advanced past the second round since 2001. That drought continues. And the sting was compounded by a cruel bit of irony: two of Philadelphia's own 2018 first-round draft picks — Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet — played starring roles in the sweep. For the Knicks.

The Sixers now enter an offseason with the 22nd overall pick in the June draft and more questions than answers about their championship window.

What's Next

The Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year and will face the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers–Detroit Pistons series. The Pistons, the East's top seed, currently lead that series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Monday night.

New York fell to the Indiana Pacers in last year's conference finals. This time around, with the way they're shooting and the depth they're showing — even without Anunoby — the Knicks look like a different animal entirely.

As Towns put it after the game: "It's just us being very locked in to the moment."

The moment, right now, belongs to New York.