Knicks take a 3-0 series lead and are one win away from the Eastern Finals

The Knicks are three wins deep into a series that is looking more and more like a formality. Philadelphia came to Philly hoping to turn the tide in game 3 and for the first six and a half minutes, they were doing exactly that. But this Knicks team doesn’t blink. 108-94 was the final, and the road team walked out of the Xfinity Mobile Arena one step away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Without OG Anunoby, you’d think the Knicks would struggle on the road. And honestly, for those opening minutes, that thought didn’t seem crazy at all. The Sixers came out playing like their season depended on it – because it does. Jumpshots were falling, threes were dropping, alley-oops were flying. It was everything Philly needed and then some. Paul George was unconscious, scoring 15 points in the first quarter alone, shooting 6-9 from the field including 3-4 from three. The building was alive. Rookie VJ Edgecombe had the crowd on their feet with two consecutive alley-oops that had Sixers fans genuinely believing this was the night. Philadelphia built a 20-8 lead and it was starting to look like a rout.

Then something happened. The Knicks shots started falling. Mikal Bridges‘ late layup cut it to 31-27 and something shifted. The Knicks weren’t just back in the game – they were about to take it over. From that point on, they did not lose a single quarter for the rest of the night.

The second quarter was where this game completely turned. New York outscored Philadelphia 33-21, holding their opponents to just 7-18 from the field. And that’s also where the moment of the night happened – one that carried a lot more meaning than just two points.

If you remember game 3 of their 2024 playoff series, you know what Mitchell Robinson went through. Joel Embiid fell to the court after trying to take a charge when Anunoby drove. When OG swung the ball to Robinson, Embiid grabbed the Knicks center’s leg and tried to trip him. Robinson came down on his injured ankle and was forced to leave the arena at halftime in a protective walking boot. It was one of those moments that didn’t sit right with a lot of people.

NEED A FRAME FOR THIS POSTER ASAP pic.twitter.com/N1iYz3UOj3

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 8, 2026

Last night, Robinson got every bit of his revenge. During an inbound play, he used Miles McBride‘s screen to shake Embiid and sprinted toward the hoop. The pass was thrown up and Robinson rose to catch it. Embiid followed, went up to block it, and all he managed to do was become the backdrop of a monster dunk that immediately became the highlight of the night. The poster was perfect. The timing was even better.

LOOK OUT BELOW 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/DyLv07OqSm

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 9, 2026

The Knicks went into halftime up 60-58, a game that was very much alive. Philadelphia came out swinging in the third, even closing the gap to 78-76 following an Embiid layup. But that was it. The Knicks responded with a 7-0 run to close the third quarter and Philadelphia never really recovered.

There was one more scare in the fourth when the Sixers cut it to 88-84 early, but from there the Knicks just closed the door. They outscored Philly 20-10 the rest of the way and the Knicks fans who had made the trip down to the Xfinity Mobile Arena went absolutely wild at the final buzzer.

On the Knicks side, the individual performances were outstanding. Jalen Brunson led everyone with 33 points and 9 assists, doing what he simply does better than almost anyone in the league – carrying a team back from a deficit. After trailing by 12 in the first quarter, Brunson put together 10 of his 33 points in the second, giving the Knicks their first double-digit lead. He hit threes, made impossible driving layups, drew fouls at will. Edgecombe tried his best to stay in front of him but Brunson still found ways to get his shot off and make it count. Jalen Brunson is built for moments like this.

Bridges was every bit as important. He finished with 23 points on 8-14 shooting and didn’t just perform offensively – he spent the night hounding Tyrese Maxey, limiting him to just 12 field goal attempts the entire game. That’s the kind of two-way performance that doesn’t always show up in a box score but completely changes a series.

Then there was Landry Shamet, who was the pleasant surprise of the night. With Anunoby out, Mike Brown gave Shamet extended minutes and the veteran delivered 15 points off the bench, shooting 5-6 from the field including 2-3 from three. He hit shots when they mattered most and looked completely comfortable in the role. A very good sign for the Knicks going forward.

Karl-Anthony Towns was limited to just 26 minutes due to foul trouble but still contributed 8 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists – which is the kind of stat line most starting centers dream of. While he was on the bench, Robinson stepped up to take on the defensive assignment against Embiid and made his presence felt in a big way.

Now, on the Philadelphia side, it was a disaster after that first quarter. Paul George finished with 15 points – all of them coming in the first period. The remaining three quarters? He went 0-9 from the field, zero points, when the Sixers needed him desperately. That is simply unacceptable for someone of his caliber at this stage of the season. Maxey finished with 17 points but was never able to get clean looks throughout the night. Kelly Oubre led the team with 22 points but shot 7-16, under 50%. Embiid ended up with 18 points on 7-17 shooting including 0-4 from three, drew just 3 fouls, went to the line only six times and missed a couple of those too. Not the performance you need from your franchise player when your season is on the line.

If the starters were bad, the bench was worse. The first bench points for Philadelphia didn’t arrive until the fourth quarter when Quentin Grimes finally hit a three. The entire Philadelphia bench contributed just 11 points. The Knicks’ reserves? 29.

The Knicks dominated the glass 49-33 and outscored the Sixers 52-46 in the paint. The one area where Philadelphia did better was turnovers – just 11 compared to New York’s 15. As a result, the Sixers scored 24 points off Knicks turnovers against just 10 the other way. Not that it mattered much in the end.

The math is brutal for Philadelphia now. No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in a 7-game series. The Sixers pulled off what felt like a miracle in round 1 by coming back from 3-1 down against the Celtics, but this is a completely different situation. The Knicks are bigger, deeper, more physical and they simply don’t let Philly play the way they want to play. The Sixers could potentially force a game 5 on Sunday but every passing quarter of every game in this series makes it clearer and clearer – this sweep is coming.