The discrepancy was startling. 

So much so that, just looking at the box score, it’s hard to believe it existed along with the final score. 

The Knicks took half the number of free throws as the 76ers — 17 to Philadelphia’s 34 — during their 137-98 Game 1 rout Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

Joel Embiid scored eight of his 14 points from the free-throw line. Tyrese Maxey scored seven of his 13 points from the line. 

It went under the radar given the margin of victory. But Knicks coach Mike Brown knows it would behoove the Knicks to not let it continue. 

“Maxey and Embiid are really, really good at drawing fouls,” Brown said after practice Tuesday. “Maxey’s speed, he’s gonna drive and he’s gonna attack the chest. I thought our guys did on some of the calls, but most of them, you can’t lead with your hands, you gotta lead with your chest and hope that the referee sees that at times we’re not initiating the contact. But we can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle in the referees’ hands. Make them call a no call. So we gotta do better leading with our chest and showing our hands. 

“And then with Embiid, he’s really crafty. Shot fake, shot fake and he can still shoot it, whether it’s from 2 or 3. So we have to be disciplined, we have to stay down and figure out how to be a second jumper while having contests from behind and stuff like that. But we can’t send those two guys to the free-throw line, and the rest of their team, 34 times and expect to get a win, especially if we only go 17.” 

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Brown began his news conference Tuesday by sending his wishes to 76ers coach Nick Nurse. 

Nurse’s brother, Ian, died unexpectedly April 29, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

“I heard about his brother, Ian, and I’d like to pass my condolences along to Nick Nurse and his family, his brother’s family and all their friends,” Brown said. “Life is precious. You don’t wish that upon anybody. So I’d like to pass along my condolences to him and his family while they’re going through these times.” 

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Miles McBride believes that, given the 76ers’ lack of depth, the Knicks’ physicality can have a cumulative effect over the course of the series. 

“It can definitely play a part if you’re being realistic,” McBride said Tuesday. “If you have more guys running them, being physical can definitely play a big factor.”

Knicks owner James Dolan was having some fun during a Sphere Entertainment earnings call Tuesday when he cracked a joke that alluded to a star of another team.

According to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, Dolan made the joke when he was asked about the SG&A costs — the costs related to running the business day to day that exclude direct production expenses — during the call.

“Boy, I’m really tempted to crack a joke here,” Dolan said. “So I guess I will. So SG&A is a great basketball player. And when we get to the Finals, I’m sure we’re going to beat them.”

The Knicks and Garden boss was alluding to the nickname for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is commonly referred to as SGA for short.

And SGA has become a bit of an antagonist for the Knicks during a recent meeting when the Thunder visited Manhattan and defeated the Knicks 103-100 on March 4.

Head coach Mike Brown earned a technical foul during the game after he complained to the referees about a missed foul on Gilgeous-Alexander that would have been his third of the game late in the first quarter.

Afterward, Brown used his postgame news conference to call out the way Gilgeous-Alexander plays.

“SGA, he’s a tough cover, and he does a great job of convincing the referees — probably better than anybody in the league — that he’s getting hit,” Brown said.

The Knicks are currently in the middle of a second-round playoff series with the 76ers, whom they defeated handily Monday night, 137-98 in Game 1.

Dolan may have been joking on the earnings call, but the Knicks could end up facing SGA and the Thunder if Oklahoma City reaches the NBA Finals.

The Knicks will have to knock out the Sixers and the winner of the Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers series, and Oklahoma City has to defeat the Lakers in a best-of-seven series and then dispatch the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves-San Antonio Spurs series for it to happen.

New Yorkers are planning to storm Philadelphia for this weekend’s NBA playoff games between the Knicks and 76ers — despite the City of Brotherly Love’s efforts to try to block an orange-and-blue takeover.

Xfinity Mobile Arena is limiting direct sales to buyers with addresses in the Philadelphia metro area, while Sixers fans are promising not to resell their tickets to the Knicks faithful, but some New Yorkers say they’re heading south to Philly anyway.

An X fandom account, @BigKnickEnergy_, announced a $75 roundtrip bus fare from Madison Square Garden to Xfinity when the NBA’s Eastern Conference Semifinals series switches from the Big Apple to Philadelphia on Friday and Sunday.

The en masse migration the will depart Friday at 4:00 p.m. from MSG and return at 10:30 p.m.

On Sunday, departure is at 12:30 p.m. at MSG and return at 7:00 p.m.

The Knicks are up in the series 1-0 after a Monday 137-98 dismantling of the rival Sixers at home. Game 2 at MSG is scheduled for Wednesday.

New Yorkers said the city of Rocky should pull a Rambo the policy because they’re only hurting themselves.

“The (Philadelphia) businesses downtown definitely want the New York fans coming,” Morristown resident Morristown resident Keith Gehm, 54 told The Post. “If you’re selling [cheese]steaks, you want the New York fans spending their money.

“But it’s a second city,” he added. “They’re just too fragile!”!’” 

Some fans remain optimistic the self-buyout scheme would ultimately fail.

Anile Melwani, a fan who attends both the New York and Florida games told the Post, “People will find a way to go.”

“Everyone who has a friend or family in Philly, they’re still gonna show up,” he continued, adding that despite the “unfair” treatment of Knicks fans, “there’s still gonna be a lot of New York fans.”

“You know how resilient New Yorkers are.”

Once again, rumor time has struck the Valley, as online discussion has continued to escalate. With teams continuing to get eliminated from the first round, new shakeups are being hypothesized every single hour over on Twitter. That leaves us today with our latest discussion that has hit the Suns’ world, as fans have clung to a new name that may be hitting the market.

It is expected that the Trail Blazers will field plenty of external trade interest in Jrue Holiday, per @JakeLFischer

(https://t.co/wvquLcpJ48) pic.twitter.com/Ebttw1wdVb

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 2, 2026

Even with the Trail Blazers exceeding expectations, similarly to Phoenix, and beating them in the Play-In tournament, some shakeup seems likely for this Northwest franchise. With the emergence of Scoot Henderson in the first round of the playoffs and Damian Lillard gearing up to return, the question of Jrue Holiday remaining in Portland continues to grow.

The guard was traded there just last year from the Boston Celtics, who were looking to shed salary to drop below the second apron. I wonder if that sounds familiar, Suns fans? Anyways, the guard this offseason could also see another change of scenery, from the recent reporting of Jake Fischer.

For a team in Phoenix with already a surplus of guards, you would think this means they turn away from this, but with his complementary fit alongside Booker, the question is: should they? That is why today we are back with another breakdown of how this could be done for the Suns and whether they should consider it.

How could it get done?

Looking at Jrue Holiday’s contract is pretty taxing. The veteran guard is owed $72 million over the next two seasons with a player option in his final year. With making just under $35 million this year, the only two ways it could realistically get done. You either trade Jalen Green in a one-for-one trade or the combination of Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen.

Which would make the most sense?

As we noted above, the Blazers’ main motivation for moving Holiday off was to give their guard room more freedom, so taking Green back makes zero sense on their end. Unless it was a three-team deal (which, if you want to get creative, let me know down below), it’s virtually impossible.

This leaves us with the package of O’Neale and Allen, who would bring some quality depth and three-point shooting to a team that could benefit from it. Portland was 28th for three-point range last season, hitting 34.3%. And they were dead last in the NBA in bench three-point shooting, where they were 32.0%. Adding O’Neale and Allen would help in this area.

Even if this makes sense for the Blazers and Holiday is a good stylistic fit for the Suns, there are concerns.

Why does it not get done?

For multiple reasons, this package doesn’t get it across the finish line. Mainly on the Suns’ end, as they now take on Holiday, and they face the surplus guard problem. With Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin wanting to resign, this forces them into a Jalen Green trade.

One that the league now knows they are forced to make: with low-ball offers from other GM’s, potentially leaving Phoenix with holes in other areas if they do not accept those deals. Not only that, but you add the age and injury history of Holiday in recent years, and that becomes an issue. With him being 36 going into next year, that does not push forward the youth movement the Suns want to embrace either.

Unfortunately, there is something in the water in Phoenix, as everyone who has come here via trade has suffered an injury. Even if they are completely healthy in their previous endeavors, they always run into some issues here. The guard, who is also going to be in his 18th year, would be a great fit both on the court and playstyle-wise, but has too many concerns with his large dollar amount.

With the league only getting younger and deeper, Holiday would not solve one of those issues for this team and leave an even bigger hole in another spot. Even if his ability to be a perfect locker room fit and culture guy would be a nice addition, it is not worth the cost for the Suns. I do see the benefit of him being the point guard, and of him embracing the team’s defensive hard work and hustle as well. He would definitely make things easier on Booker, but at what cost?

Especially in their position, Holiday is an addition to put you over the top for a championship, as he did for the Bucks and Celtics. The Suns are just not in that spot right now, which is why, even if he is one of my favorite fits alongside Booker, I say it is a no-go.

If Holiday proves he is still a solid player once he is off that contract, I would absolutely LOVE to have him as a secondary guard on a cheaper deal, but the price is not worth the risk in this instance.

Let me know your thoughts down below. Would you entertain a trade for Jrue Holiday for this Suns team?