It was the kind of game Knicks fans loved. It may not have been as big a blowout as New York's last game, but it also may have been more meaningful.
New York blew out visiting Philadelphia in Game 1 of their second-round series, 137-98, on a night they looked like clearly the best team in the East. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Manhattan.
The Knicks are a team in a groove, winning their last three games by at least 29 points, and in the last two they have shot 61% overall and 44% from 3-point range.
Part of the Knicks fast start and dominance was that the 76ers played like a team with a Game 7 hangover — they looked gassed a quarter into the game. Embiid started 1-of-6 and Maxey 1-of-4. If it wasn't for Paul George hitting 3-pointers, Philadelphia could have been in a much deeper hole earlier.
And that hole was already 23 points at the half, 74-51, leading to an ecstatic crowd reveling in it at Madison Square Garden. Things were going so well that Josh Hart had time to untie Jimmy Fallon's shoe courtside.
In the third quarter, the Knicks just added to their lead out of the gate, and Nurse, wisely, decided to rest his tired stars early and start thinking ahead to Game 2.
In addition to Brunson's hot hand, OG Anunoby had 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and five assists, playing well as the hub of the offense. Mikal Bridges added 17 points as well.
George was the only 76er with a hot hand all night, and while he played just 26 minutes, he led the team with 17 points. Joel Embiid finished with 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting, while Tyrese Maxey had 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Expect a better outing from Philadelphia in Game 2, but if the Knicks are shooting like this there might be nothing the 76ers can do.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 04: Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives around Og Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 04, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 23.5 VJ Edgecombe – 16 Joel Embiid – 14.5 Paul George – 9 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5 Justin Edwards – 4 Andre Drummond – 3 Quentin Grimes – 3 Jared McCain – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 MarJon Beauchamp – 2 Adem Bona – 1 Porter Martone – 1 Cam Payne – 1 Jabari Walker – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
Bad news — the Sixers lost the first game of their conference semi-final matchup against the Knicks 137-98.
Good news — the Sixers escaped in one piece, and none of the starters played 30 minutes just 48 hours after an exhausting Game 7 dogfight in Boston.
Jalen Brunson led the rested Knicks with an innocuous 35 points on 66% shooting (12-of-18 FG), while Karl Anthony-Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby combined for 52 points on 72% shooting (21-of-29 FG).
The Sixers, however, struggled to produce offense from the head of the snake. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey tallied only 27 points combined on 30% shooting (6-of-20).
The Knicks defensive consistency in the halfcourt will be the Sixers’ biggest hurdle this series. Getting out in transition more would help open things up, but that can only happen if the Sixers force a miss on defense and grab the rebound. Both prerequisites did not happen often on Monday.
Weeding through the mess of this game reveals a couple Bell Ringer-worthy performances.
George continues to be a constant presence, and was the one of two Sixers to carry over their offensive efficiency from Game 7 against the Celtics through the quick turnaround. He found his rhythm early, sinking a three off the catch after a Joel Embiid double team. He drilled another in the first off the dribble attacking Mitchell Robinson on a screen, and then opened the second quarter with a deep ball from the left wing.
George found Kelly Oubre Jr. multiple times in the first half. Once on a post pass to a cutting Oubre for a dunk, and then kicking out to Oubre after an effective drive for an open three.
Later in the first half, after an extended Knicks run, George found Embiid in the post with a perfect entry pass that lead to a tough finish at the rim. The next possession he would nail a pull-up jumper over Josh Hart after creating space with his dribble.
George was the only Sixer making shots by the time the third quarter started, nailing another three and a floater before Nick Nurse pulled the starters midway through the frame. The Sixers were down 31 points.
Kelly Oubre Jr. 12 points, 5-of-8 FG, 1-of-2 3PT, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Oubre finally hit a three and played with a high energy level on both ends throughout the game, even starting the contest with a block on Hart. He had a couple frustrating turnovers, but showed he can be a factor offensively as a cutter in this series. Multiple dunks off timely backdoors cuts helped keep the offense afloat through most of the first half. He was the team leader in rebounds, which is an unsustainable gameplan moving forward, but noteworthy in a team-wide effort deprived of energy.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 04: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a home run in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The home run drought is over, and it only took facing one of the shakiest pitching staffs in baseball for it to happen, as the Dodgers thoroughly outhit Houston in an 8-3 win. It was a win with the particularly sweet taste of seeing Kyle Tucker leave the yard in his old stomping grounds, hitting one out to right field, a place he patrolled for so many years.
Although Tucker had his home run, the first of them—the one that broke the streak—came from an unlikely source. It was Alex Freeland who left the park in the second inning, then tying the game at 2-2 after an eventful first inning in which the offense failed to capitalize on a pop fly from Tucker that dropped for an RBI single, ultimately seeing Andy Pages strand the bases loaded against Ryan Weiss. Set to be the bulk man after Steven Okert dealt with the big bad lefties in the Dodgers lineup, Weiss came in already with a big mess in the first—although he got out of it unscathed, the rest of his performance gave the Dodgers the ideal platform for a badly needed slugfest for a team that hadn’t had one of those away from home since they visited the Rockies a couple of weeks ago.
A Shohei Ohtani walk followed Freeland’s home run in the second, and he was driven in on an RBI double from Smith, then giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. The big damage, though, came in the following inning with a four-run spot. By the time Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single, all nine of the Dodgers’ hitters had reached base at least once, signaling a complete performance from top to bottom. In the middle of that complete performance, it’s impossible not to highlight Freeland’s reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances with three hits and a walk.
Almost used to the idea of not a lot of run support, Yamamoto took advantage of the eight runs his offense scored and delivered yet another terrific outing, especially for a pitcher who had as much trouble as he did in the first inning, in which Houston scored two. Yordan Alvarez lived up to his outstanding reputation and track record early this season with multiple hits, but beyond him, Yamamoto kept the home bats in check outside a Zach Cole home run in the fifth, finishing six innings with three runs allowed and eight strikeouts.
It would’ve been nice to see Ohtani sprinkle in a hit and end this, what is now a 0-for-17 run, but the MVP can only do so much when he’s not really given much to hit. At the end of the day, the two walks he earned both led to runs and played an important role in this offensive outburst.
Following Yamamoto, the bullpen was dominant, earning eight of their nine outs via strikeout, with a scoreless inning each from Kyle Hurt, Blake Treinen, and Jack Dreyer, the latter two striking out the side.
Game particulars
Home runs— Alex Freeland (2), Kyle Tucker (4), Zach Cole (1)
The National League Pitcher of the Month in April gets the starting assignment against Peter Lambert, as Shohei Ohtani will also look to keep the offensive momentum going—Dave Roberts has already said that Ohtani will start and hit in Tuesday’s matchup with the Astros. The start time is exactly the same, at 5:10 p.m. (PT).
Apr 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller (22) walks off the field after pitching during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
In losing five-of-eight games, starting with the split against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City, the San Diego Padres had their first losing streak since the first week of the season. Coming home from Mexico, without a day off to recover, the Padres played six games against the Chicago teams. Losing both series 1-2, the Padres showed a sagging bullpen and an anemic offense most of the time.
You won’t catch the players or the manager using altitude or fatigue as an excuse. They won’t even use the flu that affected Fernando Tatis Jr. for most of the week. Fans are not likely to use those reasons to excuse some of the poor play, poor pitching or lack of offense. Maybe it’s just baseball but the Padres have to figure this out and get better quickly.
Luckily, the beleaguered San Francisco Giants are up next on the schedule. If the Friars don’t play better and score more runs for the next three games then we can discuss having a real problem.
A couple highlights from an otherwise forgettable week:
Mason Miller, who had his scoreless streak broken by the Cubs with an assist from the umpires, won March/April Reliever of the Month for the NL. His 10 saves, 1.17 ERA, 29 strikeouts, three hits allowed and .118 average against far outpaced anyone else in the NL.
The Padres sale to José E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones was officially announced on Saturday. It is expected the sale will become final at the next MLB owner’s meeting in early June, unless they hold a virtual vote before then. Feliciano/Jones will reportedly own approximately 40% of the team with other partners investing. Both Dennis Lin of The Athletic and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Alfredo Harp Helú, as well as multiple members of the Seidler family, will retain ownership stakes.
Griffin Canning made his Padres debut and helped pitch the Friars to a victory over the White Sox in the final game of the series, salvaging a game after losing four in a row. The Padres called him up to replace Germán Márquez, who was placed on the injured list. Randy Vasquez was pushed back a day in his normal spot in the rotation.
The Padres sit at 20-13 and are 0.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Injuries and owies
Both Manny Machado and Miguel Andujar had limited playing time during the eight games with Machado experiencing cramping in his left calf and missing a game and used as DH in another. This required Jake Cronenworth to play third base for the first time since his inaugural season with the Padres. Normally, Miguel Andujar would have replaced Machado but he was held out of a couple games with hamstring tightness.
David Morgan has battled command issues recently and was sent to El Paso when Jeremiah Estrada was called up after his IL stint. In his 15 days away from the team, Estrada gained weight and strength as well as allowing the inflammation to subside in his throwing arm. His velocity was back to normal on his return.
Tatis Jr. does not have an injury, but he has played the better part of the home stand with the flu. He was given an off day on Sunday.
Márquez experienced tingling in his pitching arm in his last couple starts (per Mark Grant in the Padres broadcast on Sunday) and was placed on the IL as a precaution in hopes that some rest and rehab will improve his results.
Griffin Canning adds a sinker
In 2025, before his injury, Canning featured six pitches and used his four-seam fastball and slider most predominantly. He was obviously working on some things during his time with Triple-A El Paso but was needed by the Padres and didn’t get to his goal of 70-80 pitches before being called up.
In his first start as a Padre, Canning used four pitches in his five innings of work. He struck out seven and had a ground ball rate of 55.6%. His 51.6% ground ball rate last year was the highest of his career, and it seems he is doubling down on that strategy.
Canning used his changeup 34% and his four-seam fastball 33% of the time in his start against the White Sox. In his 73 pitches, he mixed in his slider 26% of the time and then flashed a sinker 7%. Canning has not thrown a sinker since 2024. He also never threw his cutter, curve or sweeper (according to StatCast) in his outing on Sunday.
It will be interesting to see what pitch mix is utilized going forward and whether he mixes all seven pitches he throws into his future starts.
Lucas Giolito
The Padres have until May 16 to get Giolito ready to join the Padres rotation. He has made two starts with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm with seven innings pitched. He has allowed seven hits and five runs with four walks and 10 strikeouts. His command was improved in the last start versus the first. The most telling factor regarding his lack of Spring Training reps is that his fastball is sitting 89-92 and he normally rides in the 93-94 mph range.
Building arm strength and endurance will be the goals for his remaining time in the minor leagues, attempting to replace a normal Spring Training with two more starts against minor league hitters. It has not been stated whether he will complete his progression with Lake Elsinore.
Yuki Matsui
The Padres either have to reinstate Matsui on today or get his permission to keep him in the minor leagues. He has completed all the goals of his rehab. He has 12.2 innings and a 4.97 ERA with 14 strikeouts and three walks. He has pitched back-to-back games and multiple innings.
Sad offense
Jackson Merrill is hitting .211, Jake Cronenworth is hitting .147, Freddy Fermin is hitting .170 and Nick Castellanos is hitting .164. The Padres’ two best hitters, Miguel Andujar and Luis Campusano, don’t play fulltime. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts are tied for the team lead in home runs with five each. Bogaerts, Ramon Laureano and Machado each have 18 RBI to lead the Friars.
The Padres rank 23rd in batting average (.234), 25th in OPS (.686), 23rd in home runs (31) and 22nd in slug (.379). It isn’t sustainable to keep a winning record with the offense struggling this way. Oh, and Tatis Jr. still doesn’t have a home run.
Bullpen struggles
In the last two weeks, the Padres bullpen has dropped from being the fourth best in baseball to being the 14th. The ERA has slid from 2.95 to 4.01. Adrian Morejon is still being hit hard at times and even Mason Miller gave up some hits and a run.
The starting staff has slipped from 18th (4.18) to 21st (4.54) in that same time. Overall, the pitching staff is ranked 18th with a 4.30 ERA.
DENVER, CO - JULY 29: Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger wears a robe and holds a toy light saber during the Colorado Rockies Star Wars Night promotion during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Oakland Athletics at Coors Field on July 29, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is “May the Fourth (be with you)” aka Star Wars Day.
In honor of this very important holiday, I have a Star Wars-themed question for you all tonight: Which baseball player’s name sounds most like a Star Wars character?
Since the Mets are in town, I think I’ll go with Bo Bichette. Tarik Skubal might be a close second.
But are there others? And do you think they’d be a Jedi, a Sith, or something else within the Star Wars universe?
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 4: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 4, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tonight at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks hosted the 76ers in Game One of their semifinal series. New York had benefited from extra rest by routing Atlanta on Friday, while Philly took the Celtics to seven games before closing their series on Saturday. The visitors played like they had just fought a long battle as the Knicks won the first quarter by eight and clobbered them in the second quarter for a 23-point halftime lead. With New York scoring at will, their advantage reached 34 in the third quarter, and their reserves pushed the lead to 40 in the final frame. Final score: 137-98.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting (3-of-6 from three, 8-of-8 FT) in 31 minutes, chipping in three dimes and two steals with just one turnover. It was his most dominant performance of this postseason. As for the other starters, OG Anunoby scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, plus a steal and a block. Karl-Anthony Towns put up 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep, while contributing six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in just 20 minutes. Josh Hart tallied eight points and rebounds, plus six assists in 26 minutes, while Mikal Bridges scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting (3-of-5 from three) in 27 minutes. Easily Bridges’ best game of the Playoffs, and he seemed to exorcise the ghosts of a rocky Atlanta series.
For Philly, Paul George led the way with 17 points. Joel Embiid scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds in 25 minutes. Tyrese Maxey managed 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes in Knicks jail.
Opening night jitters? Maybe. Game One began with a botched jump ball, a narrowly avoided shot clock violation by Philly, and an OG Anunoby foul while fighting through an Embiid screen. No one got into rhythm until Josh Hart picked off Maxey and hit Mikal Bridges for a dunk. Then Towns drilled a triple in Embiid’s grill to take a 7-2 lead.
Two misses and a turnover allowed the guests to creep ahead. Towns picked up his second foul (on Embiid) before the six-minute mark. That brought in Mitchell Robinson, whom Embiid baited into a foul, too. The fouls were piling up, and the teams kept trading baskets, with 10 lead changes in the period. Later in the quarter, Brunson and McBride hit back-to-back triples to restore their lead. After a Nick Nurse timeout, Paul George missed from close range, and Nurse had Justin Edwards hack-a-Mitch. After Grimes bricked, Edwards hacked again. Our favorite Cajun missed all four attempts. You can’t knock the strategy; Brown’s hands were tied with Towns in foul trouble, and Mitch’s misses made for two empty possessions.
Hukporti, who logged just 19 minutes in Round One, trotted onto the court at the 2:30 mark. Continuing the theme, Huk fouled Embiid, who attempted (and made) six freebies in the first frame. Aside from free throws, nothing much was going right for Philly, though. After another bad pass by Maxey, OG sank two freebies, and Deuce added a bucket to secure a 33-25 lead at the break.
Brunson had 14 points in the first quarter, while New York’s defense had made life miserable for Tyrese Maxey. He didn’t score his first basket until midway through the second quarter. Philly’s lead guard made a handful from the charity stripe, though, and New York was entering a worrisome foul situation. Mitch committed his third after playing just eight minutes, while Towns and Anunoby had two apiece with almost seven minutes remaining in the half.
The Knicks scored on all levels, with Towns and Anunoby cooking alongside Brunson, and Hart and Bridges chipping in with relative ease. Our heroes went up by 18 with 3:30 to go, while the visitors missed a number of one-and-dones. Brunson scored the last 11 points for New York and hit a Hail Mary trey with the clock expiring to put New York up 74-51 at intermission.
Through the half, the Knicks had shot 66% overall and 50% from downtown, dished 16 assists, turned the ball over just four times, and doubled Philly’s points in the paint (32-16). The only thing keeping the game from being a total blowout so far was Philadelphia’s perfect 14-for-14 from the line. Brunson led all scorers with 27, the most he’d scored in a half this season, doing so on 10-of-14 shooting. For Philly, Maxey had 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting, while Embiid had 12 on 3-of-10.
To start the third quarter, Brunson picked Oubre’s pocket, and Hart cashed in the fast break for a 25-point lead. Thanks to New York’s smothering defense, Philly continued to be plagued by turnovers. Embiid threw the ball directly to Brunson, resulting in an Anunoby dunk at the other end. Then Maxey coughed up the ball, and Anunoby swished from deep. With about nine minutes on the clock, the differential was 27 points, and Nurse was apoplectic.
Desperate for answers, Philly tried going zone. The Knicks kept scoring. Towns walked in a layup and then hit from deep to give our heroes a 30-point lead with seven minutes left in the frame. Soon after, Bridges drilled from downtown, making it 31. From there, Philly went on a 9-3 run but continued to look lost in the sauce. Nurse gave some extra burn to his reserves (Drummond, Grimes, Barlow, Bona), letting his stars rest in what seemed like a hopeless cause. The hosts closed out the period strong, taking a 109-78 lead into the final frame.
Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet made unusually early appearances in the fourth quarter. The train kept rolling, with Kolek cashing multiple buckets from deep and Dadiet dunking. Mohamed Diawara got in on the action, too, as our heroes pushed the lead to 40. When the cutting was done, New York had won 137-98—meaning that they’d scored 277 points over the last two games. Unbelievable.
Up Next
Miranda’s coming in hot with a recap. Game Two will be played on Wednesday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 4: Jackson Chourio #11 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after hitting a double against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on May 4, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jackson Chourio shined bright in his season debut with four hits, including two doubles and a walk. Unfortunately for the young superstar, the rest of the Brewers lineup could not come through with the clutch hit when they needed it most, stranding 12 runners on base. Most painfully, the Crew had the tying run up to the plate in the top of the sixth and seventh innings.
We were able to see Chourio right out of the gate in the top of the first inning. He watched the first couple of pitches in his at-bat and then on his first swing of the 2026 season, he doubled to left-center field, ultimately being stranded at second base to end the inning.
St. Louis flocked to the base paths early and often against Brewers starter Chad Patrick, as they had at least two runners on in the first three innings. In the bottom of the second inning, former top prospect for the Cardinals, JJ Wetherholt, put his team on top early with a base hit into center field to give them a 1-0 lead.
Patrick struggled to string together consistent outs, as the Cardinals were patient at the plate. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the patience paid off as Iván Herrera doubled with the bases loaded to extend the Cards’ lead to 4-0. That would be the end of the day for Patrick, as for the first time in his career, he was pulled before completing the fourth inning of a start.
Thankfully for the Brewers, their bullpen was well rested, only having used two arms the day prior. DL Hall entered from the bullpen, where he settled in and threw 1 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The bottom of the fourth inning featured a scary moment for Andrew Vaughn and Brewers fans alike, as in his return to the diamond, he was hit in the hand – the same hand that he broke his hamate bone, which landed him on the IL. Thankfully, he was able to shake it off and take first base.
Historically, Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy has always pitched well against the Brewers. Although most of his starts have come in bullpen appearances, as in 8 1/3 innings that he has pitched in, seven of those have been scoreless innings. Tonight, it was more of the same for Leahy as he threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run and striking out five. The Brewers were able to collect six hits, but clutch pitching prevented them from having any big innings.
It took until the top of the sixth inning for the Crew to crack the scoring column, as Luis Rengifo singled to left field to drive in the team’s first run of the ballgame. Following that RBI base hit, the Brewers would have the tying run at the plate in two of the next three innings, unable to score any runs.
St. Louis tacked on a couple of big insurance runs in the later innings, and it proved to be big as the Brewers’ offense came to life in the top of the ninth inning. Chourio collected his fourth hit of the game with one out, doubling to center field to tie his career high for hits in a game. Brice Turang then came through with a two-run home run to cut the deficit down to just three.
Following the long ball, William Contreras singled. Then, another scary moment for the Brewers’ lineup took place. Tyler Black hit a ground ball where he beat out the return throw to avoid the double play. As he crossed first base, he tripped and hit the ground hard. Slow to get up, he was able to stay in the game and run the bases.
The rally ended there, though, as the Brewers dropped game one by a score of 6-3. Coming up with hits while having runners on continues to be a weak point for this offense. On the bright side of things, the Crew have Chourio and Vaughn back. We already saw what the addition of Chourio has done, and his productivity has historically spread among the others in the lineup. This team is getting healthier, and a better offense is soon to come.
Their first-round surge is showing no signs of slowing up.
It’s only growing stronger.
They keep setting new records.
Capturing new accolades.
Providing more and more reason to believe, as they obliterated the 76ers 137-98 Monday night at Madison Square Garden to take an emphatic 1-0 series lead.
Over the past four games — including the last three games of the first round, following back-to-back losses — the Knicks have outscored opponents by a combined 135 points.
Monday was the largest home playoff win in franchise history.
They became the first team in the play-by-play era to lead by 30-plus points in three straight playoff games.
Jalen Brunson is pictured during the Knicks’ May 4 win against the 76ers. Charles Wenzelberg
They became the first to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points.
They were one point shy of being the first to win back-to-back playoff games by 40 or more.
Just one team had ever ended a series winning by 30 or more points, then opened a series winning by 30 or more points — the 1986 Celtics.
Now, it’s two.
“I just feel like our focus has been better,” Jalen Brunson said. “Our attention to detail has been better. Honestly, I think those two are very important for us. We gotta continue to do so.
“Yes, it’s turned into big wins. But that attention to detail will help us in the close wins as well.”
As the first half wound down, Josh Hart’s shot had clanked off the rim — a rarity for the Knicks on Monday.
But Mikal Bridges corralled the rebound and kicked it out to Brunson.
And Brunson drilled it, with hardly any time left on the clock.
Of course he did.
Did anyone expect otherwise?
He was doing anything he wanted against the 76ers defense.
The shot gave the Knicks a 23-point lead heading into halftime.
Karl-Anthony Towns dunks the ball during the Knicks’ May 4 win against the 76ers. Charles Wenzelberg
It brought Brunson to a whopping 27 points in that first half, including the Knicks’ last 11 heading into the break.
It got the fans inside Madison Square Garden to their feet and to full voice.
MSG was rocking — in that special way it does this time of year and at a level that felt much more intense than at any point in the first round.
The Knicks were making shots for fun.
They were suffocating the 76ers on the other end.
They were making it look easy.
It didn’t take long for that lead to grow to 31 in the first few minutes of the second half.
The 76ers tried to go to a zone.
It laughably failed.
The 76ers had no counterpunch or fight.
It was party time at MSG.
“I think right now,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, “we’re seeing the culmination of the trials and tribulations that we went through in the regular season.”
The Knicks ended at 63.1 percent from the field and 51.4 percent from 3-point range. Both teams emptied their benches for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
It was the second straight game no Knicks starters played a single minute in the fourth quarter.
Fans chanted for Tyler Kolek, like they did during regular-season routs.
He finished with a game-high 35 points — on stellar 12-for-18 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range — along with three assists and just one turnover.
Knicks guard Mikal Bridges #25 reacts at Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 after hitting a three-point shot during the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
VJ Edgecombe primarily guarded him, but he was often made useless by the endless screens.
“They were obviously,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said, “picking us apart.”
Brunson’s supporting cast followed his lead in the second quarter, and that’s where the Knicks took off.
He finished with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field while also drilling both 3s he took.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 17 apiece.
Tyrese Maxey attempts a shot during the 76ers’ loss to the Knicks on May 4. Charles Wenzelberg
Hart was characteristically everywhere with eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Miles McBride provided a nice punch off the bench.
Foul trouble was perhaps the only area of concern for the Knicks.
Embiid drew a handful on Towns and Mitchell Robinson, forcing Ariel Hukporti to see some rare minutes.
But Embiid was a flailing, nightmarish mess otherwise, recording 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field.
Bridges did a terrific job on Tyrese Maxey, who had just 13 points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.
He didn’t hit a field goal until midway through the second quarter, when the Knicks were padding their lead.
It was his lowest point total since Jan. 26.
Paul George was a footnote.
It was an all-around bludgeoning.
“Honestly, you gotta take this game with a grain of salt and move forward,” Brunson said. “I don’t think we’re gonna see that team that we saw in Game 1 in Game 2. They’re gonna be ready to go.”
Perhaps the 76ers didn’t have enough time to reset after an emotionally draining seven-game first round.
Or, perhaps, as has been the case for multiple games in a row, this is who the Knicks are.
The Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of their second round matchup on Monday at MSG.
Here are some takeaways...
- The Knicks had a bit of a scare just minutes into this one, as Karl-Anthony Towns went down in significant pain after taking a hard fall coming down from an offensive rebound attempt, but he ended up being okay after staying down for a few moments and remained on the floor following a TV timeout.
Joel Embiid was also able to get both Towns (two) and Mitchell Robinson (two) into early foul trouble.
- With Towns sitting, it was Jalen Brunson who carried the load for the Knicks' offense in the early going. It was a mainly back-and-forth opening frame, but the All-Star point guard put together one of his signature barrages scoring nine straight New York points and dishing an assist on a Miles McBride three to make it a four-point game.
OG Anunoby found his touch late, as well, scoring all of his seven points to close the first quarter up by eight.
- Finally back on the floor, Towns got into a rhythm for the first time opening the second. The dominant big man was able to take advantage of Embiid resting after playing the entire first quarter, quickly pushing both his point total and the Knicks' lead all the way out to double-digits.
- New York's defense was tremendous and they continued to get whatever they wanted on the other end. The Garden was rocking and the home team had all of the momentum as they carried their largest lead of the half into the break (23) following Brunson's deep three at the buzzer.
- The captain was taking advantage of Embiid and Philly's defense in the pick-in-roll, scoring the teams last 11 points to bring his total out to 27, which is the second-most in any playoff half by a Knick in the play-by-play era.
- It was much of the same for the Knicks coming out of the break, as they continued to put on a defensive clinic and simply could not miss on the other end. This time it was Mikal Bridges' turn to put together a scoring run of his own, as he scored eight straight points at one point in the third to push himself into double-digits, as well.
- Philadelphia didn't received their first bench points of the game until there was four minutes left in the third.
- Brunson was relatively quiet in the third with New York's offense clicking on all cylinders, but eight points in the closing minutes of the frame helped him break 30 for the second time these playoffs, and kept the commanding lead above that mark heading into the closing 12 minutes.
- Both teams emptied their benches with things out of reach to open the fourth. Tyler Kolek took advantage of the opportunity for minutes, knocking down his first three attempts from the field and dishing an assist. Ariel Hukporti chipped in five points, reeled in a game-high nine rebounds, and was a +22 over 17 minutes.
Hukporti stepped up bug earlier in the contest with both Robinson and Towns in foul trouble.
- As far as the starters, Brunson led all scorers with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting. Anunoby missed just one of his eight shots as he chipped in 18 points of his own, and both Bridges and Towns finished with 17 each. Josh Hart had just eight points, but also contributed eight rebounds and six assists.
They shot a whopping 63 percent from the field and 51 from three as a team on the night.
- The Knicks also did a tremendous locking down Philly's one-two punch, holding Embiid (14) and Tyrese Maxey (13) to a combined 27 points, 15 of which came from the free-throw line. They made just six of their 20 attempts from the field, missed all five of their shots from three, and turned the ball over a total of five times.
- New York is the first team in NBA history to win three straight playoff games by 25+ points.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
The captain set the tone out of the gate for New York with his tremendous first half.
May 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler (24) battle during the third period in game two of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
James Guillory-Imagn Images
RALEIGH, N.C. — Taylor Hall slipped the puck past Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the NHL playoffs.
Hall took a short feed from Sean Walker and carried the puck in on the left side before being knocked to his knees near the top of the crease. But Hall hopped up, corralled the puck and beat Vladar to cap a night that saw the Hurricanes fall behind 2-0 quickly for their first deficit of the postseason.
Seth Jarvis had the third-period goal that forced overtime for Carolina, while Nikolaj Ehlers also scored. Frederik Andersen finished with 34 saves to help the Hurricanes improve to 6-0 in the postseason.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Thursday’s Game 3.
Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scored in a 39-second span of the first period for the Flyers, but Philadelphia couldn’t beat Andersen again.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 4: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the New York Knicks during Round Two Game One on May 4, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
NEW YORK — No one should have to play so soon after a Game 7 anyway.
The Sixers were throttled 137-98 by the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their second round matchup, falling to another 1-0 series deficit.
Like Game 4 against Boston, Tyrese Maxey was just not aggressive enough. He finished with 13 points, shooting 3-of-9 from the floor with two assists to four turnovers. Joel Embiid again struggled with his jumper, he finished with 14 points on 3-of-11, shooting to go with four rebounds and one assist.
Paul George actually had an alright offensive night. He went for a team-high 17 points shooting 6-of-11 from the field along with three boards and three assists. VJ Edgecombe also looked slightly more ready for this series — he shot 5-of-11 for 12 points with one rebound and two assists.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 35.
Here are some thoughts from MSG.
First Quarter
The Sixers’ offense definitely looked stuck in the mud to start the game. Between the near turnover that was saved by an incorrect shot clock violation call, the layup Maxey thought he got fouled on, and Karl-Anthony Towns stripping Embiid, not much looked pretty early. Edgecombe started well though making his first two pull-up jumpers of the night.
With a lot of stops at the beginning of the game it was hard for either offense to get out of the gates. Brunson also made his first two shots of the night, drawing a foul on Edgecombe on his second. The Sixers had trouble chasing him around screens. Embiid missed his first three shots and got his first points at the line. He was able to again find Kelly Oubre Jr. for a baseline cut while George hit a couple of threes.
None of Edgecombe, George, Oubre or Quentin Grimes could slow Brunson down early as he put up 14 in the quarter. Whether that was a factor or not, the Sixers resorted to hack-a-Mitch, putting Justin Edwards in the game to use up those fouls. Robinson missed all four attempts before Mike Brown pulled Robinson off the floor for a couple possessions.
The Sixers ended the quarter doing a better job on Brunson — Oubre had forced him down the baseline nicely for a missed midrange jumper. The Knicks still shot it well as a team going 65% in the first quarter. The Sixers’ offense still looked sloppy with Embiid smoking a fairly open layup. A pair of Maxey free throws pulled the Sixers within eight after the first.
Second Quarter
The offensive process was a lot better to start the second, but it began with Oubre and Grimes missing wide open threes in the corner. Depending on which big the Knicks had out there Andre Drummond can make sense in this matchup, but asking him to chase KAT around the perimeter was a bit much. George did his best to keep them afloat with Maxey and Embiid both on the bench. He got stripped by Josh Hart, but he also hit a three and assisted to Oubre twice while the two of them were able to cause two turnovers as well.
Maxey didn’t make his first field goal of the game until nearly halfway through the second. The only thing he and Embiid had really done well to that point was draw fouls, and they were able to get three on both Robinson and Towns. On the other end, the Knicks, mainly through pick-and-rolls, continued to torch the Sixers’ deep drop coverage.
The Sixers may have been better off having Embiid roam off of Hart as opposed to guarding Towns on the perimeter, but Hart could have just as easily put him in space. It’s not like any Sixer could stay in front of anyone as they very much looked like a team that had just gone through a battle of a Game 7 48 hours prior. To make matters worse, Embiid really started to favor his midsection after Mikal Bridges hit him trying to fight through a screen.
As the Knicks continued to pour on baskets, all the Sixers could manage was trying to keep the lead under 20. Brunson got going again when he was able to take on Embiid in space. He then got a three to bounce in and got Grimes in the air to draw a foul attempting another three. The Knicks only grabbed three offensive rebounds in the half but they all managed to be big, the last getting kicked out to Brunson for another three to put the Knicks up by 23 at the half.
Third Quarter
Here were the first four possessions for the Sixers to start the second half: Oubre trying to fit a pocket pass to Embiid through three defenders that was easily stolen, an Oubre putback, a fast break Maxey could have found Edgecombe on but went for the layup himself and missed, and an Embiid pass to nowhere that was also easily stolen and taken back the other way. Five minutes into the quarter and the Knicks had pushed their lead to 30.
Edgecombe was able to pick on Brunson to get to the basket on a couple of possessions, something the Sixers’ backcourt probably should have started doing much earlier in the game. George was able to draw an and-1 on Towns but those were the lone positives.
Nick Nurse threw the white flag with five minutes left in the quarter. Dominick Barlow checked into the game for the first time and Edwards got his first minutes that weren’t just meant to foul Mitchell Robinson. Barlow might actually be a decent option to guard Towns in future games this series, but KAT was only in for one possession by the time Barlow got in the game, so there wasn’t a chance to see it here. The Sixers trailed by 31 heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Well, if Adem Bona’s shift in garbage time was anything to go off of, Drummond probably was the better option at backup five anyways. In his 3:47 minute shift he picked up five fouls, three of which were offensive fouls. The Sixers may need to get experimental with their bigs in this series and Bona will have to be playable to do so.
A night off early might be better for them in the long run — it may be the only thing that can recharge their legs at this point in the season. If the effort is similar in Game 2 that would be very alarming, to put it mildly.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 04: Jac Caglianone #14 of the Kansas City Royals is doused with water by Bobby Witt Jr. #7 and Carter Jensen #22 of the Kansas City Royals after a 6-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on May 04, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Jac’s blazing bat bobblehead night, the Royals were jolted with a little bit of power. They hit two home runs and just barely missed a third in a game that was a joy to watch.
It didn’t start like that though. Both offenses looked off in the first few innings. The game moved at a blistering pace; I thought for a little bit that the game might be over before my kids’ 8pm bedtime (yes yes that wouldn’t happen, I know). It seemed like every plate appearance was a first/second pitch popup for both teams. I blinked and it was the fourth inning already. Good thing I did not blink again, as the Royals bats woke up then. I could use some eyedrops now, maybe. Blinking is important.
In that fourth inning, Bobby Witt Jr opened the scoring with a home run. He got an 86mph cutter at or above the top of the zone. Honestly..might have been called a ball had he not swung. But, he made himself tall and put the ball into the Hall of Fame stands. Beautiful. The Royals weren’t done.
Right after, Vinnie Pasquantino took another upper-zone pitch off the right field fence. He missed a homer by a few feet. The next batter, Salvador Perez, hit a grounder dead up the middle, and the second baseman was in position to make the play. Maybe he blinked – the ball went right through his legs under his glove. Upon replay, we could see that the ball bounced off the base. The spin did not seem to change all that much; the guy’s glove was *right there*. The ball just snuck under the glove. Vinnie scored on the flub to make it 2-2.
Jensen followed with a single and Lane Thomas walked to load the bases with no outs. At that point, I got worried the RISP issues would show up again. Cags and Collins both struck out with no more runs scored. With two outs, Nick Loftin put a grounder perfectly between the third baseman and shortstop for a single. Perez scored easily, and then Carter Jensen rounded third. Steven Kwan made a great throw, and initially Jensen was called out. The Royals challenged, and it was quite clear Jensen was safe. A good slide, keeping his toes down to touch the plate right as he reached it. As in, he did not touch the plate in the middle; he touched right at the corner. That made the score 4-2.
Later on, Jac made his presence known on his blazing bat bobblehead night. He got an up-and-in fastball that he somehow managed to pull, and pull it he did. It was a moonshot past the right field bullpen. Then we got a little bit of manufactured scoring. Bobby reached first on a throwing error from Brayan Rocchio, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third, and scored on a Pasquantino single.
I’ve made it nearly 500 words without saying ANYTHING about Michael Wacha. It is time.
Wacha was a machine. He made basically one mistake to David Fry, a meaty cutter that caught too much of the plate. That led to a two-run homer. But then Wacha set down 16 of the next 17 guys. He allowed just one walk in that stretch before David Fry came up again in the 7th inning and hit a single. Angel Martínez followed by roping a double into the right field corner, but Fry was not able to score on it. After a mound visit from Brian Sweeney, Wacha got a lineout to prevent any runs from scoring.
Wacha’s changeup looked like it was working really well. There were several instances against left-handed hitters where he threw it against their shoulder and it ended up crossing the middle of the plate. Guys buckled up against it; he was pounding the edges. The camera view, in my opinion, didn’t quite do justice to the pitch.
As a result, Wacha was wildly efficient. He threw 60 pitches in only 6 innings! He had to throw 19 more to get through that little blip in the 7th inning. Overall, 79 pitches in 7 innings with only two runs allowed on the Fry homer. Four hits allowed. I’ll take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Matt Strahm and Alex Lange mowed down the hitters in the 8th and 9th innings.
It was fun to watch. That’s kind of it. That was a really fun game! I love fun baseball games!
Apr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) hits a double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals got a strong start from Kyle Leahy and the offense came through when it mattered as they beat their NL Central rival Brewers 6-3 Monday night at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals offense executed excellent situational hitting early as Masyn Winn walked in the bottom of the 2nd inning. After Nathan Church flied out and Pedro Pagés struck out, Victor Scott II singled advancing Winn to third base and then JJ Wetherholt came up clutch by lancing a single into right-center driving in Winn and giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead.
St. Louis would threaten (and follow thru on that threat) in the bottom of the 4th inning when Nathan Church ripped a double. Pedro Pagés walked and Victor Scott II sacrificed advancing both runners to second and third. Victor, by the way, had 2 hits in addition to his sacrifice bunt. A good night for VSII. The Milwaukee Brewers then made the fateful decision to intentionally walk JJ Wetherholt loading the bases for Ivan Herrera. He promptly unloaded them giving the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.
Kyle Leahy had nasty stuff Monday night (in a good way for the Cardinals) throwing 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Unfortunately, he would get into trouble in the top of the 6th inning walking Bauer then surrendering a one-out single to Frelick putting runners and first and third. Oli Marmol brought in George Soriano who gave up a single to Rengifo driving in a run attributed to Leahy making it 4-1 St. Louis. Fortunately, Soriano would get out of the inning with no further damage striking out Hamilton and getting Mitchell to fly out to left. Kyle Leahy’s final stat line was solid allowing only 6 hits, 1 earned run and 5 strikeouts with 2 walks over his 5 1/3 innings. George Soriano and JoJo Romero did a respectable job in relief navigating through singles and walks, but not allowing any further Brewers runs.
The Cardinals would fortunately not be content with their 3-run lead by adding to it in the bottom of the 7th inning. Jordan Walker walked, Nolan Gorman singled and then Masyn Winn came through with a sharp single into right-center scoring Walker, but Gorman was caught adventuring too far past second base which helped contribute to extinguishing the rally as Nathan Church popped out to short to end the inning, but the St. Louis 4-run lead was restored as it was 5-1 Cardinals.
Get this. Ryne Stanek through a 7-pitch top of the 8th inning shutting the Brewers down 1-2-3. That normally wouldn’t be news, but lately that’s a non-typical result. Ryne sure does have nasty stuff that makes him difficult to deal with when he’s on. This is the version of Stanek we’d like to see more often if the Cardinals are willing to accept requests.
The relentless 2026 St. Louis Cardinals showed up again Monday night as Victor Scott II ripped a double into left-center. He was then driven in by super-rookie JJ Wetherholt who had another multi-hit game giving St. Louis a comfortable 6-1 lead. I love watching this team. This is seriously fun.
Gordon Graceffo, who was kind enough to hang out on our podcast this week, was brought in to close out Milwaukee and unfortunately gave up a double to Jackson Churrio and then a 414 foot 2-run homer to Turang cutting into the Cardinals lead 6-3. After Contreras followed that with a screaming single to center, Oli Marmol reluctantly brought in Riley O’Brien to shut down the Brewers which he fortunately did. On his first pitch to Tyler Black, he got him to ground out in a force out to second base, but he got a slight knee in the back covering first barely missing a double play. Riley got Vaughn to fly out to Jordan Walker to close out the game and give the Cardinals the victory.
Congrats to Oli Marmol who tied Miller Huggins for 11th on the all-time St. Louis Cardinals manager win list with Monday night’s victory.
The Cardinals will try to pile on the Brewers Tuesday night as Andre Pallante will start game 2 against Milwaukee as Brandon Sproat will take the mound for the Brewers. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm central time at Busch Stadium.
May 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Red Sox won 5-4 on Monday night after two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal was scratched for surgery (boo), the game time was moved up to 6:10 (yay?) and the Justin Bieber to all of my Detroit friend fans (a sizeable faction, randomly), Kevin McGonigle did not play. So things were going well and all but I still cannot not think of the Simpsons at every turn when I hear that dude’s name. And so:
I’m working through it.
Anyhow, back to our sense of hope. This goes a coupla directions for me tonight. One, Peyton Tolle was so good that the opposing team’s announcers were in awe. He’s a dude. Relatedly, two, I listened to the home team’s announcers. That’s Jason Benetti’s crew. This is like winning the lottery on a night like tonight, for reasons explained below. It was like a revival, or like living in an alternate universe. The joy for the game exploded off the screen, and the fact that the game lived to the environment to them is a testament to how good baseball can be. Which is much easier to say because the Sox won. But they did. Which means overthinking things feels good.
I’m not gonna tick-tock what happened in this space any more because you can get that anywhere else. Here is what it felt like: Very fucking cool! A potentially dangerous thunderstorm was bearing down so they started early to avoid it and neither avoided it nor were in danger. It’s weather, so them’s the breaks. And while Skubes was out, Tolle wasn’t, and he was so good that Benetti and co — the opposing announcers — were or just sounded believably in awe. Maybe they’re just good at it, or maybe you just realize how effective the “maybe it’s Maybelline” ads were, or maybe they were telling the truth.
The game was scoreless until the Tigers got 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th, which visibly bothered Tolle, who was neither at fault nor ultimately had anything to for which to apologize anyway. In the top of the 7th the Sox plated 5 runs, 3 of them on a home run by Jarren Duran, apparently unshaken by being traded twice in my dynasty league in 2 hours, the first time from me. He really can hit it when he’s right tho. Masa and Wilmer also came up big. The Tigers cut it to 5-4 but that was as close as they got.
To me, that wasn’t the story. The game was delayed 28 minutes by rain, and I got to watch the Benetti feed. They fielded questions like favorite board game, food, etc, so I just happened to be watching as all this happened, below. It’s lovely. You can enjoy it as well:
Maybe I wouldn’t care if this wasn’t on the night John Sterling, the Yankees’ singularly bombastic passed away, probably the last true performer in the booth, literally by decades. But as everything got corporatized (derogatory) he became corporatized (complimentary.) When I told Yankees fans, like the most dyed-in-the-w0ol types, that I said he seemed happiest reading ads they all agreed. A friend who loved him more than about anyone texted today that “His hearse will be driven…by jeep,” and I think he’d have loved that.
He’d been a welcome anachronism and eventually wiped away all traces of cynicism for anyone without hate in their hearts and finished the indoctrination. Yes, it took time: I’ve had him for more than 25 years on local radio and all I can tell you sisters and brothers he is ultimately more fun to laugh both at and with than hate. He loved something about baseball, and pomp, and the use of time. Benetti understands it better than anyone right now, and that he does it in a way that’s 180 degrees away from Sterling is why we love this sport. It takes all kinds. The only common thread is how much we know they love it. We know when it’s real.
