Matching up for the first time in the NBA playoffs since 1989, the No. 2 seed New York Knicks take on the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the first round starting this weekend.
The last time these two teams met in the postseason, New York won 3-0 and Charles Oakley posted a double-double on two occasions.
Can Jalen Brunson and this year’s Knicks team knock off Philly in a similar fashion? We decided to simulate the first-round series in NBA 2K24 to find out. Here are the results.
Game 1: 76ers 120, Knicks 114 (PHI leads 1-0)
Philadelphia silences Madison Square Garden with an upset win over the Knicks in Game 1 courtesy of a huge game from Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Sixers trailed for the majority of the fourth quarter before an Oubre 3-pointer tied the game at 107-107 with just over three minutes remaining. Philadelphia eventually took the lead on a Tyrese Maxey layup with 2:44 to go and never looked back.
Oubre had 26 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Buddy Hield chipped in 21 points, four rebounds and five assists off the bench. The Sixers needed their role players to step up with Joel Embiid (12) and Maxey (18) combining for 30 points while shooting 12-of-29 (41.4%) from the field.
For the Knicks, Brunson led the team with 31 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds, while O.G. Anunoby had 23 points and Josh Hart had 15-10-5. New York was sunk by a particularly poor shooting night from Donte DiVincenzo, who had just 12 points and made only 2-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Knicks were a combined 9-for-28 (32.1%) from 3-point range in Game 1 and their bench was outscored by a margin of 22 points. If they don’t bounce back in front of their home fans in Game 2, they could find themselves with an incredibly disappointing first-round exit.
Game 2: Knicks 139, 76ers 124 (Series tied 1-1)
If you bet the under on the total in this one, you definitely lost your money, as New York and Philadelphia combined for 263 points at MSG in Game 2.
The Knicks scored at least 30 points in each quarter to knock off the Sixers and tie the series at 1-1. New York led by as many as 25 in the second half before Philly staged a mini comeback in the fourth quarter.
Brunson went absolutely nuclear with 44 points and 12 assists — the second time in his career he has reached 40 points in the playoffs. No other New York players scored more than 20 points, but the Knicks 59.8% from the field as a team.
Embiid struggled for Philadelphia, fouling out after totaling 15 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes played. Maxey led all Sixers players with 21 points, while Oubre had 20 in the losing effort.
The fact Embiid hasn’t played well at all in the series yet might be a good thing for the Sixers, who now go back home for Games 3 and 4 with a chance to take a series lead.
Game 3: Sixers 128, Knicks 126 (PHI leads 2-1)
Philadelphia nearly blew a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, but in the end it took down the Knicks thanks to a buzzer-beating dunk from De’Anthony Melton.
Trailing by 21 at the start of the final period, New York eventually battled back to tie the game at 122-122 on a 3-pointer from Bojan Bogdanovic with 1:34 remaining. The two teams traded the lead a few times in the closing moments before a Hart dunk with seven seconds left tied the game once again at 126-126, setting up Melton’s heroics at the final horn.
Philadelphia got a nice bounce-back performance from Embiid in Game 3. The former MVP totaled 34 points, 15 rebounds and three steals, and he was the only Sixers player to score over 20 points in the game. As a team, Philly shot over 50% from the field.
Brunson had his third 30-point game in a row, but he had three more turnovers (six) than assists (three) over the course of the game. DiVincenzo (23) and Anunoby (20) combined for 43 points, while Hart nearly had a triple-double with nine points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
New York is arguably in a must-win scenario as it stays in Philly for Game 4. If the Knicks can even the series, it will turn into a best-of-three with two of the remaining games at Madison Square Garden.
Game 4: Sixers 111, Knicks 106 (PHI leads 3-1)
The Knicks have their backs against the wall after another slow start cost them Game 4 on the road at Philadelphia. While New York only lost by five points, it trailed by as many as 24 points in the second half.
Philadelphia got another monster game from Embiid, who finished with 38 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks. Maxey racked up 15 points and seven assists, but Cam Payne came off the bench to score 12 points in just 10 minutes of action.
Brunson went for 33 points, but it wasn’t enough to mitigate a horrendous shooting night from the Knicks. DiVincenzo made just four of 18 attempts from 3-point range, and New York shot 37-of-98 (37.8%) from the field as a team.
New York grabbed 20 offensive rebounds over the course of the game but was only able to rack up six second-chance points. The Knicks now head back to Madison Square Garden needing to win each of the series’ remaining three games to complete the comeback and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Game 5: Knicks 128, Sixers 93 (PHI leads 3-2)
New York finally woke up and absolutely kicked Philadelphia up and down the court in Game 5 en route to a 35-point win, which marked the second-largest margin of victory in Knicks’ playoff history.
The only victory by more than 35 in New York postseason history came on 1970, when Willis Reed scored 32 points to lift the Knicks to a 132-96 win over Milwaukee in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Brunson also made Knicks playoff history by scoring 58 points, breaking Bernard King’s playoff scoring record of 46 that he set twice back in 1984. The 58 points were also the the second-most by Brunson by a game in his career, just below the 61 he scored on March 29 against the Spurs.
Facing elimination, Brunson made 20 of his 32 field goal attempts and was 7-of-14 from 3-point range. The rest of the Knicks combined to shoot 36.8% from the field.
The Sixers had their worst shooting performance of the series in Game 5, making just 32-of-90 (35.6%) of their field goal attempts and 22.5% of their 3-pointers. Maxey led all Philly players with 22 points, while Embiid had 16 points, 18 rebounds and four assists.
New York now has a chance to even the series in Game 6, but it will have to do so away from home. Can the Knicks complete the comeback? We’ll see next time out.
Game 6: Knicks 114, Sixers 108 (Series tied 3-3)
Another huge performance from Brunson helped the Knicks even the series at 3-3 heading into a decisive Game 7 at home. This marked the first time in the series that New York won a game in Philadelphia.
Brunson had 29 points to lead the Knicks, while Bogdanovic scored 19 points in 21 minutes off the bench. New York shot over 50% as a team and forced Philly into 22 turnovers over the course of the game.
The Sixers got another 30-point game from Embiid, who finished with 31 to go with 14 rebounds and five blocks. Maxey struggled to score with only nine points on 3-of-9 shooting, while Tobias Harris was 1-for-8 in 28 minutes played.
The win by New York sets up a winner-take-all scenario in Game 7. The Knicks are 7-8 when playing in Game 7s all time, while the Sixers are 6-12. Philadelphia lost in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals, while New York hasn’t played a Game 7 since 2000.
Game 7: Knicks 141, Sixers 108 (NYK win 4-3)
While Game 7 was devoid of drama, it was not without its fanfare. The Knicks’ 33-point win over the Sixers was well received by the home crowd at Madison Square Garden, who will now see their team in the Eastern Conference semis for the second-straight season.
Five New York players had at least 18 points, led by Brunson’s 33 to go along with 10 assists. DiVincenzo had his best performance of the series so far with 24 points and nine assists, while Bogdanovic and Precious Achiuwa both had 18 off the bench.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, saw Embiid go for 30-11-6 in the losing effort. Maxey had just 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting, while Oubre (14) and Hield (11) were the only other Sixers with more than 10 points. As a team, Philly shot 36-for-86 (41.9%) from the field in the loss.
Brunson led the way for New York over the course of the series, averaging a ridiculous 36.9 points and 7.6 assists per game. Philadelphia’s best player in the series was Embiid, who averaged 25.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in the losing effort.
This was just the second time New York has won a postseason series with Philly. The Knicks last eliminated the Sixers from the postseason in 1989, which was also the last time they met prior to this series.
