Knicks Outshoot Sixers To Win Game 1

The Knicks hit their shots, and the Sixers did not. That in broad strokes, says almost everything you need to know about Game 1, and why the Knicks won. At times, it felt like the Knicks could not miss. It also felt like the Sixers couldn't buy a shot. Even when they got open looks, the Sixers' shots would not fall.

Going into Half, with the Knicks up 23 points, they shot about 77% from 2, and over 50% from 3. In comparison, the Sixers were shooting just 40% from the field in total.

That pretty much held up throughout the game, and the Knicks took game 1 in dominant fashion. By the start of the 4th quarter, both teams emptied their benches. Even then, the Knicks were shooting over 7-% from 2 and 50% from 3, and went on to win in blowout fashion, 137-98.

The Sixers got the Knicks bigs into Early foul trouble. Both KAT and Mitch Robinson had 3 fouls before Half. On a normal night, that would feel like a good sign for the Sixers. It did not matter. Jalen Brunson took the game over, finishing with 38 points. And when he did not have the ball, players like OG, Bridges, and KAt shot just as well, only at a lower volume.

We learned from the Sixers-Celtics series that you can't count the Sixers out just because they had a terrible Game 1. But the first night could not have gone worse for the Sixers, or better than the Knicks. By about midway in the second quarter, it became pretty clear which team was going to win this night.

Game 2 takes place on Wednesday at 7 pm. Maybe the day off will help the Sixers, who looked like a team that just came off a tense game 7 vs the Celtics.