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76ers’ Nick Nurse gets real on culprit behind Game 1 drubbing vs. Knicks
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- 76ers’ Nick Nurse gets real on culprit behind Game 1 drubbing vs. Knicks
76ers’ Nick Nurse gets real on culprit behind Game 1 drubbing vs. Knicks appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Whether they’re still suffering from a hangover from their emphatic 3-1 comeback over the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs or they’re simply too exhausted still having just one full day of rest between series, the Philadelphia 76ers were on the receiving end of a 137-98 drubbing from the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup on Monday night.
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The 76ers looked off the pace from the first minute, and the Knicks took full advantage. Jalen Brunson was making mincemeat of the 76ers’ defense, and it got so bad for Philly that they had to resort to hacking Mitchell Robinson in the first just so they could keep up. Even then, that did not work.
After the game, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse gave an honest review of what he saw from his team that proved to be their undoing in Game 1.
“Defensively, we just seemed like we were chasing everything. Didn’t guard the ball well enough. Didn’t contest shooters well enough. I mean, they were obviously picking us apart,” Nurse said, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire.
The Knicks truly got whatever they wanted on offense, with Brunson taking advantage of a few favorable matchups (he did especially well against Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes ). OG Anunoby also continued his stellar play in the 2026 NBA playoffs, and Karl-Anthony Towns outplayed Joel Embiid .
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New York shot a bonkers 63.1 percent from the field and 51.4 percent from beyond the arc. Philly could not contain their dribble penetration, allowing 58 points in the paint, and when they slid in to provide help on the interior, New York picked them apart with one triple after another (19 made threes on the night).
Nonetheless, as the 76ers will attest to, one bad loss is not the end of the world in a single playoff series. They also lost by over 30 points in Game 1 against the Celtics (123-91), so if there’s anything they’ve shown in this year’s playoffs, it’s that they can turn things around in a hurry.
Related: 76ers most to blame for Game 1 debacle vs. Knicks
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