The second round is underway, and Monday produced one blowout and one thriller. At Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his 35 points in the first half — capping it with a buzzer-beating three from 25 feet — and the Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points, cruising to a 137-98 destruction of Philadelphia in Game 1. Two days after completing a 3-1 comeback against Boston, the Sixers' Big Three shot 12-of-31 combined and never found a footing. Then in San Antonio, Anthony Edwards returned from a hyperextended left knee to score 18 points off the bench — including a step-back three over Wembanyama that put Minnesota ahead for good in the fourth quarter — and the Timberwolves survived a wild finish to win 104-102 in a defensive slug-fest decided by a Champagnie buzzer three that hit the side of the rim.

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New York Knicks 137, Philadelphia 76ers 98

Two days removed from completing the 14th 3-1 comeback in NBA playoff history, the Sixers arrived at Madison Square Garden without a day of rest and ran into a version of the Knicks that has become genuinely impossible to play. Brunson scored 14 points in the first quarter alone, and by the time he capped the second quarter with a 25-foot buzzer-beater — arms spread, MSG in full delirium — the Knicks led 74-51 and the game's tone had been permanently set.

The Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points, continuing a wave that began midway through the Hawks series. They shot 63 percent from the field and finished with a 40-point lead. Brunson played only 31 minutes — the primary reason he didn't reach 40 — finishing 12-of-18 from the field with three threes and the irrefutable reality that he now owns the Philadelphia 76ers in the postseason. He averaged 35.5 points in a first-round series against the 76ers in 2024 and closed it with three straight 40-point games, including a franchise playoff-record 47 in Game 4. Two years later the Sixers still have no answer.

Anunoby added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in a razor-sharp two-way performance, and Towns and Bridges each had 17 — Towns in just 20 minutes with 6 rebounds and 6 assists before sitting in garbage time. The bench delivered depth: Miles McBride hit shots, Tyler Kolek impressed with confident playmaking in limited minutes. After trailing 2-1 against Atlanta, the Knicks have won four straight games by a total of 135 points. They are the first team since detailed play-by-play began in 1996-97 to lead three straight playoff games by at least 30 points.

For Philadelphia, Paul George led the team with 17 points as the Sixers' only reliable offensive contributor. Embiid, Maxey, and George combined to shoot 12-of-31 from the field. The Sixers had one day of rest after 37 games in 20 days including a road Game 7 — that context matters, but the gap in this game was too vast to be explained by fatigue alone. New York is simply bigger, deeper, and better organized than anything Philadelphia has an answer for right now.

NYK leads series 1-0. Game 2 is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

NYK 137 · PHI 98

Minnesota Timberwolves 104, San Antonio Spurs 102

Nobody expected Anthony Edwards to play. He had hyperextended his left knee and bruised the bone in Game 4 against Denver, missed Games 5 and 6, and was listed as questionable Sunday. By Monday morning he was a significant participant in shootaround. Even though his minutes were limited and he came off the bench, he was the X factor scoring 8 of his 15 points in the final period to help Minnesota turn a third quarter deficit into a lead the Spurs couldn't fully erase — despite Wembanyama posting 12 blocks, the most by any player in a single playoff game in NBA history, in a losing effort.

The first three quarters were a defensive clinic from both sides. Neither team cracked 50 points at the half — tied at 45 — in a game dictated entirely by whether Wembanyama or Gobert was on the floor at any given moment. When Gobert rested and Wembanyama played the second quarter, the Spurs ran a 9-0 run. When Edwards came back in the first quarter, Minnesota answered with a 12-2 run. Keldon Johnson sank a buzzer-beating floater to give San Antonio a 72-69 lead after three quarters. Then Edwards opened the fourth with two quick buckets and a step-back three over Wembanyama — 78-77, Minnesota — igniting a 16-7 run that pushed the lead to 95-86 with four minutes left.

The Spurs fought back. Vassell stole the ball and passed it to Harper who converted his breakaway with 31 seconds left to cut it to two. In the waning seconds, Julius Randle isolated and found his shot, but missed at the other end. Harper grabbed the rebound, found Wembanyama, and Wembanyama — realizing San Antonio wasn't taking a timeout — immediately kicked it back to Harper, who sprinted the length of the floor and found Champagnie in the corner. Champagnie dribbled left, rose, and put up a three that clanged off the side of the rim as time expired. Minnesota held on 104-102.

Wembanyama's 12 blocks are the single most remarkable individual defensive stat line of these entire playoffs — but he shot just 3-of-9 from the field in three quarters, finishing with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and the triple-double of blocks that his body language suggested was deeply insufficient to him. Fox had nothing in the first half — 0-of-5 shooting before intermission — and finished with 16 points, all in the second half. Harper's 18 off the bench was San Antonio's best offensive line. Castle fouled out for the second consecutive game. Randle led Minnesota with 21 points and Gobert contributed 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals as the defensive interior presence that kept Minnesota competitive in the three quarters when Edwards was managed carefully. Mike Conley added 12 points and 6 assists in the steadying veteran role that he brings every game including a big corner three that extended Minnesota’s lead in the fourth.

This series — two elite centers, depleted rosters, a star playing on two bad knees — is going to be something to watch as it has a low probability of ending early. Minnesota steals Game 1 in San Antonio. Game 2 is Wednesday.

MIN leads series 1-0. Game 2 is Wednesday at Frost Bank Center.

MIN 104 · SAS 102

The second round announced itself clearly on Monday. The Knicks sent a message to the rest of the East that may redefine the conference bracket conversation: they are the first team in NBA history to win three straight playoff games by 25-plus points, they are 4-for-4 in games where they've led by 30, and Brunson still has no ceiling against this particular opponent. The Philadelphia series may be shorter than anyone expects if the Sixers can't find some combination of health, spacing, and defensive scheme that slows the machine.

The Wolves-Spurs series presents the opposite picture. Two of the most defensively suffocating teams in the conference, a star making his playoff debut on two hurt knees, a 22-year-old frenchman with 12 blocks who was still the best interior defensive player in either game by a measurable margin. The two points between the final score and a different result on Champagnie's buzzer three — which hit the side of the rim — captures the knife-edge on which this series will run. Minnesota stole one on the road. San Antonio will want it back Wednesday.

Stud of the Day: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks — 35 points on 12-of-18 from the field in 31 minutes, 27 of them in the first half, capped by a buzzer-beating three from 25 feet. He sat the entire fourth quarter with a massive lead. The Sixers have now been unable to solve him across two playoff series in consecutive years. He now has the second-most 35-point playoff games by a point guard in NBA history. He is the engine of arguably the best remaining team in the East.

Dud of the Night: San Antonio Spurs (team) — Wembanyama's 12 blocks were the most in a single playoff game in NBA history, but he had an ineffective night from the field including 0-8 from outside. Fox shot 0-of-5 in the first half. Castle fouled out for the second straight game. San Antonio is too good not to bounce back, but Monday was not their night.