The Knicks and Timberwolves opened their second-round campaigns with Game 1 wins over the Sixers and Spurs on Monday night, as the former maintained their hot run while the latter received a timely boost from their NBA All-Star.
New York pummeled Philadelphia 137-98 at Madison Square Garden, taking advantage of the latter’s fatigue after they came back from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Boston in the opening round. On the other hand, experience played a key role in Minnesota’s 104-102 win over San Antonio. Despite winning Game 1, the NBA 2026 odds believe their series remains a toss-up.
At the time of writing, the Magic, Raptors, Hawks, Celtics, Suns, Rockets, Nuggets, and Trail Blazers are eliminated. The Thunder-Lakers and Pistons-Cavaliers series will begin tomorrow.
SBOTOP basketball fans can expect more NBA 2026 highlights in the next few days. For now, let’s recap the latest updates around the Association.
Brunson leads Knicks’ barrage in Game 1
After dispatching the Hawks during the first round, capping off their best-of-seven series with a 140-89 rout, the Knicks kept their purple patch by becoming the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason matches by at least 25 points. Since trailing 2-1 against the Hawks, the Knicks have won four straight by a combined 135 points.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse pulled his starters midway through the third quarter, as his team trailed by more than 30 points. Perhaps they were waving the white flag after they threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Knicks, but to no avail.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 35 points, three rebounds, and two steals on 12-for-18 shooting from the field in 31 minutes. OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges added 18, 17, and 17 points.
As for the Sixers, Paul George had 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, and four three-pointers on 6-for-11 shooting from the field in 26 minutes. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., and VJ Edgecombe added 14, 13, 12, and 12 points in the losing effort. Philadelphia made only 41-per cent of their field goals and 37-per cent of their three-pointers compared to 63-per cent from the field and 51-per cent from three-point range for New York.
Edwards’ return gives the Timberwolves a major boost
Anthony Edwards wasn’t supposed to suit up for the Timberwolves as early as Game 1 against the Spurs due to the knee injury he sustained in Game 4 against the Nuggets in the first round. However, nine days later, the four-time All-Star was back on the court, and he looked like his old brash self.
Edwards came off the bench and finished with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists on 8-for-13 shooting from the field in 25 minutes. Timberwolves teammate Julius Randle jokingly referred to Edwards as “Wolverine” for being a fast healer, a trait typically attributed to younger players (Edwards is only 24).
According to head coach Chris Finch, Minnesota will continue to place Edwards on a minutes restriction, with Terrence Shannon Jr. taking his place in the starting lineup. Shannon played well again for the Timberwolves, notching 16 points and five rebounds. Fellow starters Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Mike Conley also contributed 21 points (team-high), 16, 12, and 12 points.
Minnesota deserve plaudits for the defence against San Antonio in Game 1, as they held Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox to a combined 10-for-31 shooting from the field. The Spurs pair missed all 12 of their three-point attempts, and they only scored 45 first-half points.
Wembanyama sets crazy postseason record in loss
Despite his shooting struggles, going 5-for-17 from the field for 11 points, Victor Wembanyama still managed to churn out enough production to keep the Spurs close against the Timberwolves last night. And he did it through his defence, as he had 15 rebounds and blocked 12 shots, becoming the third player in postseason history to log a triple-double with blocks, after Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrew Bynum.
At 22 years and 120 days, Wembanyama also became the youngest player in Spurs history to record a playoff triple-double, surpassing Tim Duncan. But despite the all-around performance, the Frenchman was far from satisfied with the result.
Trailing by two points with less than eight seconds remaining, the Spurs had an opportunity to send the game to overtime or win the game with a three-pointer after a defensive stop. However, they inexplicably didn’t call a timeout, and Julian Champagnie missed a good look from three-point land at the buzzer.
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