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The Knicks silenced the doubters on Friday night, defeating the 76ers 109-94 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead and move within one win of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Even with the return of Joel Embiid, Philadelphia had no answers for New York’s talent and depth. The Knicks weathered an early 12-point deficit, dominated the glass 49-33, and gradually broke the game open behind the poise of Jalen Brunson, the versatility of Mikal Bridges, big contributions from the bench, and another relentless effort from Josh Hart.

With defense par excellence, our heroes have held their opponents under 100 points for five of their current six-game win streak. Tyrese Maxey, who some in the media have mistakenly called a better player than Brunson, was handcuffed all night and worked hard to score 17 points in 44 minutes. Embiid, the 2022-23 NBA MVP, had to rely on dirty chicanery and still barely cleared 18 points and six rebounds in his 35 minutes. Once again, Paul George scored a dozen out of the gate and then sipped Gatorade for the rest of the game. When Kelly Oubre, Jr. is one’s best player in a playoff game, perhaps one’s championship aspirations are exaggerated? Coach Nick Nurse thought so. He folded in surrender with two minutes left and the game still within reach.

Let’s crack open the gradebook, shall we?

Jalen Brunson

38 MIN, 33 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST, 3 TO, 11-22 FG, 3-8 3PT, 8-9 FT, +13

Brunson started slowly, missing six of his first eight shots, but eventually did what he always does: took complete control of the game. Philadelphia’s traps and double teams failed to rattle him. He dissected the Sixers’ coverage with patience, punished mistakes with smart passing, and buried several momentum-killing buckets late in the fourth quarter. His nine assists were every bit as valuable as his scoring. Grade: A

Karl-Anthony Towns

26 MIN, 8 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 3-8 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, +3

Towns never found his rhythm as a scorer, but he impacted the game elsewhere. He battled Embiid physically, cleaned the glass, and repeatedly punished Philly’s defensive rotations with sharp passing from the high post. His rebounding helped neutralize second-chance opportunities (eight defensive boards), and his willingness to facilitate kept the offense humming in the second quarter, allowing New York to take a lead that would last the rest of the game. Grade: B

Mikal Bridges

37 MIN, 23 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 0 TO, 8-14 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-5 FT, +15

After a abysmal first round series against Atlanta, a completely different Bridges has emerged in the second. In OG Anunoby’s absence (strained hammy), Bridges expanded his offensive role and delivered exactly what the Knicks needed. He attacked gaps aggressively, hit timely threes, and spent a good portion of the game in Maxey’s jersey. Perhaps most impressively, he logged 37 intense playoff minutes without committing a turnover. This must be the Iron Man conditioning of which they speak. His steady two-way play stabilized the Knicks throughout the night. Grade: A

Josh Hart

40 MIN, 12 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 4 TO, 6-12 FG, 0-4 3PT, 0-2 FT, +5

Even with a jammed thumb and a crooked middle finger, Hart continues to do Hart things. Who expected any different? He led the team in minutes, grabbed 11 rebounds, defended multiple positions, and relentlessly chased loose balls. The outside shot never arrived (he has eight working fingers, so…) and the turnovers got sloppy at times, but that’s the price you pay when playing full-tilt boogie. His energy and physicality wore Philadelphia down over four quarters, and they have no one who can match him. Grade: B+

Miles McBride

21 MIN, 3 PTS, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 1-6 FG, 1-5 3PT, -4

The lowest grade of the night, and it’s a bummer given how much we revere Deuce around these parts. But, McBride struggled offensively for the second straight game, missing open looks and failing to provide much scoring punch with the second unit. Still, his defensive effort never wavered, and it was essential with Anunoby missing. The Knicks can survive quiet shooting nights from him as long as the defense remains intact. Grade: C+

Mitchell Robinson

19 MIN, 6 PTS, 6 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1-3 FG, 4-8 FT, +16

Big Mitch brought exactly the kind of interior force the Knicks needed against Embiid. He protected the rim, controlled space in the paint, and generated extra possessions with offensive rebounding. His free-throw shooting remains an adventure, but he hit half, and that was good enough to end Nick Nurse’s Hack-a-Mitch nonsense. His dunk on Embiid in the second quarter broke Philly’s back and immediately became an iconic Knicks image. It’s the definition of a poster. Grade: B

Landry Shamet

26 MIN, 15 PTS, 3 REB, 1 STL, 5-6 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-4 FT, +20

What can you say about Shamet? He kind of fell out of favor in the Atlanta series, but he is always ready to contribute big minutes in a pinch. Last night, he was enormous off the bench. He missed one shot all night and repeatedly punished Philadelphia for collapsing too hard on Brunson drives, providing a reliable parachute for Cap. His spacing opened the floor, his shooting stabilized the bench lineups, and his team-high +20 plus/minus reflected just how impactful his minutes were. Drafted by Philly, wasn’t he? Grade: A

Jordan Clarkson

13 MIN, 4 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2-3 FG, +11

Clarkson provided solid connective tissue minutes. He moved the ball, rebounded surprisingly well for a guard, and avoided forcing offense. Nothing too flashy, but exactly the sort of steady bench contribution winning teams need in May. Grade: B

Coach Grade: Mike Brown

Brown coached a disciplined, patient game. The Knicks never panicked after the rocky opening quarter. He managed Towns’ foul trouble effectively, leaned into the lineups that controlled the rebounding battle, and trusted Brunson and Bridges to close the door late. In his postgame presser, he called Jalen the blanket to his Linus. If only we all had a Jalen Brunson in our lives (I smell an ESPN skit). Grade: A

The Knicks now stand one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. If they bring this same focus, rebounding, and late-game execution into Game Four, Philadelphia’s season may end on Sunday. Which is Mother’s Day, btw. Don’t forget the flowers. And go Knicks!

The Detroit Pistons will try to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Pistons won the series’ first two games in Detroit. The next two games are in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are favored by 4.5 points in Game 3. The over/under for the matchup is set at 212.5.

How to watch Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

• Date: Saturday, May 9

• Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT

• Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

• TV Channels: NBC, Pea

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5

• Moneyline: Cleveland Cavaliers -179 (61.5%) / Detroit Pistons +149 (38.5%)

• Over/Under: 212.5

Series schedule, results

Game 1:Pistons 111, Cavaliers 101
Game 2:Pistons 107, Cavaliers 97
Game 3: Detroit at Cleveland (Saturday May 9, 3 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 4: Detroit at Cleveland (Monday May 11, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 5: Cleveland at Detroit (Wednesday May 13)*
Game 6: Detroit at Cleveland (Friday May 15)*
Game 7: Cleveland at Detroit (Sunday May 17)*

*if necessary

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't getting Luka Doncic back as they head back home down 0-2 in their conference semifinal series with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Doncic has been out since April 2 with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, which he suffered against the Thunder during the final days of the regular season.

The Lakers have been without their leading scorer all throughout the playoffs.

Doncic, who averaged 33.5 points and 8.3 assists per game in the 2025-26 regular season, was ruled out of Game 3 in Los Angeles against the Thunder as he continues to nurse the injury and heal, according to the league's injury report as of 1 a.m. ET Saturday.

He missed the entire first round, where the Lakers handled the Houston Rockets in six games.

Anybody could have had Jalen Brunson in the 2018 NBA Draft. Anybody. The Villanova guard was the 33rd overall choice in that selection process, and has since parlayed his old-man game into four 20 point-per-game seasons and three All-Star appearances.

That same June night, the Sixers did have Mikal Bridges, albeit briefly. (Perhaps you’ve heard.) Landry Shamet, too.

They’re all Knicks now, Brunson via Dallas, Bridges (Brunson’s former teammate on the Main Line) via Phoenix and Brooklyn and Shamet via seemingly half the teams in the league. And on Friday night their play proved pivotal in the Knicks’ 108-94 victory over the Sixers in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.

That the Sixers are down 3-0 is due not only to Joel Embiid’s brittle body, Paul George’s aging body and Tyrese Maxey’s compromised body, but because the team doesn’t have nearly enough bodies.

Even without forward OG Anunoby (hamstring), and even with foul-plagued Karl-Anthony Towns managing eight points, the Knicks had ample reinforcements. Brunson scored 33. Bridges, amid a playoff heater, had 23, and Shamet surprised with 15 off the bench.

This is a guy who had managed 14 points in New York’s first eight playoff games. A guy who hadn’t cracked double figures since putting up 13 against Memphis in a regular-season game on April 1, and one who had played sparingly during a four-game stretch of the Knicks’ first-round series against Atlanta.

But on Friday he shot 5-for-6 from the floor and was a team-best plus-20 in 26:20.

“You just stay ready,” he said. “When your number’s called, you stay ready. … It felt good. It felt good to be out there with my teammates. Felt good to get a win.”

Bridges called the 29-year-old guard “a true professional.” Coach Mike Brown called him a lifesaver.

“We needed a spark,” he said, “and Landry gave it to us.”

The Knicks’ reserves outscored the Sixers subs 23-0 through the first three quarters, 29-11 overall. (Kudos to Quentin Grimes, minus-17 in 22:28, for a pair of fourth-quarter three-pointers.)

We need not relitigate the Jared McCain trade here, but we all see what he’s doing with Oklahoma City. (The counterpoint is that the Thunder is better able to cover up his defensive deficiencies, which the Knicks would certainly have attempted to exploit in this series, were he still on the roster. Still, the dude can shoot.)

The greater point is that the Sixers’ bench has been hideous all year, whether McCain has been on it or not. And whether because of tired legs or whatever, the team as a whole has run out of gas late in the last two games of this series. They were outscored 19-12 in that period in Game 2, 22–18 Friday. 

Also noteworthy – the 36-year-old George was 6-for-9 while scoring 15 points in the first quarter, scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting thereafter. Embiid gave it his best shot, but he’s clearly not even close to being right; he finished with 18 points and six rebounds.

And Maxey, who for weeks has been playing with a pinky injury, managed just 12 shots against a Bridges-led defense. Made eight, mind you, but it was clear the Knicks weren’t gonna let him wreck the game. And he didn’t, finishing with just 17 points.

One other thing: The Sixers, as has been their wont, were outrebounded 49-33, and outscored on second-chance points, 20-11.

Does Game 4 even need to be played on Sunday afternoon? Can’t the Sixers just fax a concession to league headquarters? Can’t the airtime be filled by Ben Simmons summer workout videos or some such thing?

Friday’s game began on a promising note for Philadelphia. Spurred by the crowd and desperate to climb out of an 2-0 series hole, the Sixers raced to a 20-8 lead highlighted by a pair of VJ Edgecombe dunks, off feeds from Maxey. But the Knicks kept coming, due in no small part to two guys with Sixers ties.

Bridges, taken 10th by Philadelphia in that 2018 draft and immediately flipped to Phoenix for another draftee, Zhaire Smith, and a 2021 No. 1, shot 8-for-14 from the floor. After an uneven regular season he is knocking down 64.9 percent of his attempts in the series, 69.4 percent over his last four games, while defending with his usual verve.

Shamet, selected 26th in 2018, spent 54 games with the Sixers before he and the first-rounder in the Bridges trade were sent to the Clippers for Tobias Harris. Shamet has since played for Brooklyn, Phoenix and Washington as well. And when Brunson rested late in Friday’s first quarter, it was Shamet who scored five points, helping the Knicks cut the gap to four by period’s end.

They went ahead for good with 8:20 left in the first half, at 38-35, and fended Philadelphia off the rest of the night. Brunson did his thing at the offensive end, Bridges on D. And everybody else seemed to help out.

When asked afterward about Bridges’ work against Maxey, Brown talked about the multiple efforts required to contain such a dynamic player. 

“And Mikal is busting his behind, trying to do that, trying to make it tough on him while giving it to us offensively,” the coach said. “So again, I applaud Mikal. I also applaud our defense behind Mikal.”

Bridges, who made his bones on defense early in his career at ‘Nova before blossoming as a scorer, agreed that defending Maxey is a group project. But certainly it began with him.

“Just trying to do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “The regular season means a lot, but it’s just another season after. Just giving it all.”

Added teammate Josh Hart, yet another Villanovan: “I never worry about (Bridges), because he’s gonna bring it every game. He’s gonna take his matchup personal.”

Brunson pointed out that defending at such a level is a matter of maintaining “that next-play mentality, having short-term memory, just focusing on the next play, next play.”

“So regardless of what’s happening, positive or negative,” he added, “he’s locked in for the next one. That’s just who he is.”

The Sixers closed the gap to 78-76 late in the third quarter, only to see the Knicks reel off the period’s last seven points, capped by Shamet’s right-wing three-pointer with 7.1 seconds left. New York, by that point up nine, then extended its lead to 16 in the fourth. And that was that.

“We’ve got one more, one more in a matter of hours, really,” Shamet said. “So try to get our bodies right, get our minds right, and try to go get one.”

Certainly they all seem to be pulling in the same direction. And it is all of them, too. That is what is most striking, and that is the difference in this series. Numbers. Bodies. Options. In order to fulfill expectations, Daryl Morey and Co. need to fill out the team’s roster. They need to find useful pieces along the lines of, say, Mikal Bridges or Landry Shamet. That is the challenge that awaits this offseason, which now appears to be very close indeed.

It’s been more than 26 years since the Knicks swept an opponent in a playoff series. After a 108-94 victory on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks have a chance to accomplish a feat that hasn’t happened since Patrick Ewing was their starting center. 

New York has put it all together in the playoffs. After falling behind 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks have won six consecutive playoff games. The offense and defense are both humming. With a chance at a 4-0 series sweep on Sunday afternoon, let's walk through some keys to Game 4. 

Bridges game

With OG Anunoby unavailable due to a hamstring injury, Mikal Bridges stepped up in an immense way, posting 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Bridges led a decisive Knicks run in the second quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame.

We knew Jalen Brunson was going to be productive. The Knicks All-Star guard ended up with 33 points. But New York needed another player to come along for the ride and Bridges was game for the challenge.

With Karl-Anthony Towns limited to just eight points in 26 minutes due to foul trouble, Bridges stepped in for one of his best two-way performances of the season. Bridges has made a near 180-degree transformation from just two weeks ago. He’s been more aggressive in looking for his shot. 

Also, he’s done a good job of playing off of New York’s two All-Stars. Brunson is occasionally being blitzed on the pick-and-roll which has opened up some looks for Bridges. Towns’ emergence as a playmaker has allowed Bridges to make more plays as an off ball cutter. 

Going forward, the Knicks don’t need the 6-foot-6 wing to get out of character. He’s effective when he’s making quick reads as a play finisher.

Defense to the max

Defense is where Bridges has also helped the Knicks. His main responsibility has been checking 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey throughout this series. New York’s aggressive defensive strategy of blitzing Maxey in the pick-and-roll has largely worked. Maxey was efficient, going 8-for-12. But he only finished with 17 points in 44 minutes in Game 3. 

The Knicks have done a good job covering Maxey during this series, holding the All-Star point guard to 18.7 points and five assists through three games. That’s a far cry from 2024, when Maxey torched the Knicks for 29.8 points in six first-round games. Miles McBride and Landry Shamet also deserve some credit for defending Maxey throughout this game. 

Heading into Game 4, the Sixers will look to find a few ways to free up Maxey. Philadelphia could take a page out of New York’s playbook and have Maxey come off screens more often à la Brunson. The Sixers could also emphasize getting out and running to create some easy transition looks for the point guard.

Bench mob

A key to this series has been New York’s depth. Over the course of three games, New York’s reserves have an 86-51 scoring edge over Philadelphia. The Knicks bench shined brightest on Friday, outscoring Philadelphia’s subs 28-6 before the benches were emptied late in the game. Specifically, Shamet was a significant difference maker, putting up 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. 

Mitchell Robinson also returned from an illness to have a solid performance. In 16 minutes, he was a plus-16 with six points and six rebounds, including a monster alley-oop over Joel Embiid.

On the Sixers side, head coach Nick Nurse is not utilizing his bench much in this series. Outside of the starting lineup, the 76ers have about two or three reserves playing real rotation minutes. Maxey has sat for just five total minutes in the last two games. Starters Paul George and VJ Edgecombe have both played at least 38 minutes in both Games 2 and 3.

Every playoff series is a war of attrition. If the 76ers are going to lean this heavily on their starters, that gives the Knicks an energy advantage going into Game 4.

There’s a small sliver of hope settling over Lakers fans as the Western Conference semifinal series shifts to Southern California this weekend. 

Fans aren’t panicking yet, but make no mistake about it, the walls are closing in on the Lakers’ season.

Down 2-0 to the reigning champion Thunder, the Lakers aren’t just chasing wins, they’re chasing history, they’re chasing the odds, they’re even chasing the officials.

Let’s start with history. Teams that go up 2-0 in a best-of-seven series go on to win that series 93.7% of the time. In the conference semifinals, the odds are roughly the same; teams that take a 2-0 lead are 111-8 all time in the second round. 

Lakers fans will always believe in their team, but the better question is whether there’s something tangible to grab onto that provides proof LA can send this series back to OKC. 

Let’s dive into it. 

Firstly, the Lakers have actually done a credible job guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning MVP hasn’t had much space to operate, much less be his dominant self. LA has thrown multiple coverages at him the second he crosses half court. 

They held him to 18 points in Game 1 and 13 points through the third quarter in Game 2. 

And yet, the Thunder are up 2-0. 

That’s the problem.

Because while the Lakers have been busy chasing the head of the snake, the body has been striking everywhere else. Chet Holmgren has 46 points and 21 rebounds. Ajay Mitchell has 38. The Thunder aren’t just deep, they’re surgical. They can beat you in so many ways. As soon as the Lakers take away one option, they crush you with three more. 

Which leads us to the first thing the Lakers must do to win Games 3 and 4 at home. 

They have to win the minutes when SGA is on the bench.

Right now, they’re getting dominated in those minutes. They are minus-26 across two games when SGA is not on the floor. If you can’t win the non-MVP minutes, you don’t deserve to extend this series.

But that also requires them to win the minutes when their own superstar is not on the floor. Or at the least, survive them. At 41 years old, LeBron James is still the best player on the court in the postseason. But when he sits for two- to three-minute breathers every quarter, the Lakers collapse without him. They’re minus-18 when he’s on the bench in this series. 

To survive those minutes, Austin Reaves needs to become the primary scorer on the court. He was a horrendous 3-for-16 shooting the ball in Game 1 but bounced back with a playoff career-high 31 points in Game 2. He helped the Lakers win one stretch without LeBron in the second quarter, but he needs to do that every quarter for the Lakers to win.

Because without Luka Doncic, when LeBron rests, the Lakers’ offense just doesn’t have the firepower necessary to keep up with the Thunder. 

Then there’s turnovers and extra possessions. 

The Thunder thrive on creating live-ball turnovers and turning defense into offense. The Lakers have committed 37 turnovers in two games, and most of them have been lazy passes, out-of-control dribbling and poor decisions. OKC has turned those into transition baskets and a plus-21 advantage in second-chance points.

If the Lakers can take care of the ball and clean that up, they’re back in the game.

Finally, there’s one stat that’s been following the Lakers all postseason, it’s the great equalizer: the 3-point line. 

It’s comically simple. In their eight playoff games, when they outshoot their opponent, they win. When they don’t, they lose. Shoot better than 40% from 3, hold OKC under its average and you’ll win. 

And yet, even if the Lakers can check all those boxes … their ceiling in this series still feels low.

The Thunder are the better team. They are the younger, deeper, more athletic and more physical team. Their defense doesn’t just contest shots, it makes the Lakers uncomfortable in everything they do. They manipulate whistles like a master magician. They get to the free-throw line and don’t get called for fouls on the other end of the floor. 

It might not be fair, especially with everything else the Lakers have to deal with, but that’s what it takes to win a championship. Which brings us back to reality. 

Without Doncic, the Lakers aren’t just trying to climb a mountain, they’re scaling a steep cliff without a rope. They have to play absolutely perfect basketball and pray the officials stop giving the Thunder the benefit of every call. The good news is they are back home. They need two nights of flawless basketball. Two nights where every loose ball bounces their way, every shooter is on a heater and every rotation gets there in time.

Do that and maybe you’ve bought yourself enough time for something miraculous to happen. 

Do the Lakers have a chance? 

Yes, but it just happens to be about 6%.

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