Knicks beat 76ers 108-94, take commanding 3-0 series lead

Jalen Brunson kept the Knicks on the doorstep of the Eastern Conference finals, scoring 33 points in a 108-94 victory over the 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena that gave New York a 3-0 series lead. The result put Philadelphia in a crushing spot: after losing Game 2 by six points in New York, the 76ers returned home needing a response and instead faced a three-game deficit in a series that has swung sharply toward the Knicks.

Philadelphia opened with life, taking the first quarter 31-27, but New York took control with a 33-point second quarter and never let the game tilt back. The Knicks outscored the 76ers 33-21 in that frame and kept stretching the margin from there, finishing with quarter totals of 27, 33, 25 and 23. The 76ers managed only 21, 24 and 18 points in the final three quarters as New York’s defensive pressure and physical edge took over.

The numbers behind the result were just as decisive. New York shot 23-for-32 from the free-throw line, compared with 13-for-16 for Philadelphia, and outrebounded the 76ers 49-33. The Knicks also forced 11 turnovers and turned them into 24 points, a margin that reflected how much cleaner New York looked when the game tightened and how much pressure Philadelphia absorbed every time it had to execute against a set defense.

Joel Embiid returned to the lineup for Philadelphia despite a sprained right ankle and sore right hip, and he scored 18 points. But Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George could not deliver the late-possession answers the 76ers needed, and the home crowd watched another high-stakes playoff game slip away. OG Anunoby missed Game 3 for New York with a strained right hamstring and remained day-to-day, yet the Knicks still found enough scoring punch and rebounding strength to take control.

The series now shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 4 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, with the 76ers facing elimination pressure and the Knicks chasing the kind of postseason legitimacy that comes from finishing a series decisively. New York’s own game notes pointed to May 8 as a meaningful date in franchise history, including the 1970 title and the 1973 Finals win over the Lakers, and this latest victory carried the same theme: when the stakes rise, the Knicks have looked like the more complete contender.