Philly? Philly! Knicks to face 76ers in conference semifinal

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Philly? Philly! Knicks to face 76ers in conference semifinal

Originally posted on Knicks X-Factor
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated May 3, 2026 12:24 AM ET

In an attempt to return to the Eastern Conference Finals, the faces of the New York Knicks will be going back to school … or at least its part-time home.

The Philadelphia 76ers were the first victors in a trio of Game 7s on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket on Saturday night: behind a combined 64 points from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, seventh-seeded Philadelphia put up a 109-100 victory over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden to set up a second series with the Knicks.

Game 1 of the series will be staged on Monday night at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET, NBC).

Entering Saturday, New York was the only Eastern team that had a second-round ticket punched. It’s now set for a date with an Atlantic Division rival that erased a 3-1 series deficit to move back to the conference semifinal.

This will be the 11th all-time postseason meeting between the Knicks and Sixers. Philadelphia owns a 6-4 advantage but the Knicks have won the last two, including a 4-2 triumph in 2024’s opening round.

Philadelphia, of course, plays its home games at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the part-time home of the Villanova Wildcats’ men’s basketball team that hosted the collegiate endeavors of Knicks stars Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart. Such pleasantries, however, will likely be disposed off once the series gets underway on Monday.

A rude metropolitan welcome no doubt awaits Embiid considering what transpired in the last get-together two springs ago: the 2023 MVP pulled down Robinson by his ankles after the former fell in the midst of a tangle-up for a rebound during the third game of the series. Robinson missed a good part of the following season with ankle issues was still held out of portions of back-to-back games during this last tour.

New York and Philadelphia split its divisional quartet during the regular season. Both sides proved to be road warriors: Philadelphia won two games at MSG (one sans Embiid) on Dec. 19 and Jan. 3 but the Knicks stole pair at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points in the first win on Jan. 24, which saw the Knicks stave off a late Philadelphia comeback to secure an emphatic road win. New York then dealt out a sizable shellacking on Feb. 11, which saw it post a 138-89 triumph. Newcomers Jose Alvarado and Mohamad Diawara united for a dozen three-pointers while Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns put up 22 and 21 tallies respectively.

View the full best-of-seven schedule below …

(3) New York Knicks vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

(All Times ET)
(*—if necessary)

—Game 1 (@ New York): Monday, May 4, 8 p.m., NBC
—Game 2 (@ New York): Wednesday, May 6, 7 p.m., ESPN
—Game 3 (@ Philadelphia): Friday, May 8, 7 p.m., Prime Video
—Game 4 (@ Philadelphia): Sunday, May 10, 3:30 p.m., ABC
*—Game 5 (@ New York): Tuesday, May 12, TBD
*—Game 6 (@ Philadelphia): Thursday, May 14, TBD
*—Game 7 (@ New York): Sunday, May 17, TBD

This article first appeared on Knicks X-Factor and was syndicated with permission.

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