State Game 55 Notes
The Knicks dominated the 76ers 138–89, delivering the second-largest blowout in franchise history while improving to 35–20. Jose Alvarado is my player of the game with 8 made 3s and 5 steals.
The Knicks delivered the second-largest blowout in franchise history, crushing the 76ers 138–89 in a 49-point rout. New York is now 10-2 over its last 12 games, and two of those wins rank as the biggest margins the franchise has ever recorded: a 54-point dismantling of the Brooklyn Nets on January 21 and this dominant performance in Philadelphia. The Knicks exploded out to a 16-4 start behind nine early points from Mikal Bridges and carried a 30-point lead into halftime. Their ball movement was elite all night, finishing with a season-high 41 assists while overwhelming the Sixers on both ends.
Jose Alvarado, acquired last week from the New Orleans Pelicans, was electric, drilling 8 of 13 from three and adding five steals to fuel the defensive pressure. Karl-Anthony Towns controlled the interior with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Mohamed Diawara chipped in 14. Jalen Brunson, fresh off a 40-point outing against the Indiana Pacers, scored eight as the Knicks didn’t need heavy scoring from their star guard in such a lopsided game. Philadelphia, now losers of two straight and three of four, was held to a season-low point total and dropped under 100 points for just the third time this season.
Player of the Game: Jose Alvarado
Jose delivered a breakout performance in the Knicks’ 35–20 campaign, pouring in 26 points in just 18.6 minutes against the 76ers. He shot 8-for-13 from the field (61.5 percent), including a scorching 8-for-13 from three-point range, and went 2-for-3 at the free-throw line while drawing a foul. His efficiency was elite, posting a 90.8 true shooting percentage. Beyond the scoring, Alvarado added three rebounds, four assists, and five steals, finishing with a +35 plus-minus while committing just two turnovers in a dominant two-way showing.
Game Notes Knicks vs 76ers:
First Quarter
Philadelphia struck first with a Bona bucket for a 2-0 lead, but Mikal Bridges answered with a midrange jumper to tie it 2-2. Bridges followed with a sharp backdoor cut to make it 4-2 before VJ responded with a middy to even it at 4-4. Karl-Anthony Towns set up Jalen Brunson for a 6-4 edge, then drove and kicked to Bona for an and-one to push it to 9-4. Bridges generated a steal that led to a Landry Shamet bucket (11-4), then drilled a catch-and-shoot three to stretch it to 14-4. He added another bucket, giving him nine early points off cuts and timely movement. After Towns slipped and missed a layup that led to a Barlow three, Bridges scored again to make it 18-8. Towns converted a reverse layup (20-10), and Brunson found Towns in the pick-and-roll for 22-10. Mohamed Diawara knocked down a three to make it 27-14. Mitchell Robinson and Diawara checked in together, while Clarkson missed an open three. Josh Hart tallied five assists in the quarter and Brunson had three. Bridges hit another middy (29-16). Maxey scored on a drive (29-18), then again to make it 29-20. Brunson buried a step-in three (32-20), Maxey answered with one of his own (32-23), and Hart closed the quarter with a three for a 36-23 lead.
Second Quarter:
Diawara opened the second with a three to extend it to 39-23. The 76ers answered with a three (39-26), but Diawara struck again from deep, which set up a Jose Alvarado three to make it 42-26. Towns came up with a strong steal, and Hart found Alvarado for back-to-back threes to push the margin to 45-26. Wadford scored (45-30), but Towns spun baseline for a dunk (47-30). Another Knicks three made it 50-30 before VJ countered with a middy (50-32). Bridges connected with Robinson on an alley-oop to make it 52-32, giving New York 17 assists at that point. Robinson added a block, Alvarado dropped another dime, then drilled a three to cap a 9-0 run and make it 59-32. Maxey scored (59-37), Beauchamp added a bucket, and Maxey scored again (61-39). Bridges hit a floater (63-39) and later finished another backdoor cut off a Shamet assist, giving him 19 first-half points at 65-39. Another Bridges steal led to a Shamet bucket (67-39). Barlow scored (67-41), Towns was fouled on an entry from Brunson (69-41), and Robinson grabbed an offensive rebound that led to a Shamet assist for a Brunson three (72-42). The Knicks closed the half with 24 assists on 29 made shots.
3rd Quarter:
The Knicks opened the third with another three to make it 75-42. Maxey answered with a step-back (75-45). Bridges knocked down free throws (78-45). Barlow scored (78-47), Hart hit free throws (81-47), and Barlow added two more buckets to cut it to 81-53. Bona scored to make it 81-51 earlier in the stretch, and the 76ers tried to chip away. Bridges found Towns on a pick-and-roll for a dunk (83-53), and Towns added another bucket to push it to 86-55. Shamet hit a middy (88-58), VJ responded (88-60), and Charles Bassey dunked to make it 88-66. A note on Brunson: he averages 7.04 field-goal attempts in the first quarter this season but took just three in the opening frame tonight. Robinson converted free throws to make it 90-66, Hart assisted Alvarado for a three (93-66), and Robinson went 5-of-8 from the line as the Knicks led 95-68 entering the fourth.
4th Quarter:
Alvarado caught fire to start the fourth, drilling a three to reach 23 points and make it 111-73, then hit another to give him 26 and extend the lead to 114-73. Barlow scored (114-77), but Diawara answered with a three as the Knicks moved to 17-of-34 from deep (117-77). Alvarado recorded another steal that led to a Diawara three (120-77), giving him eight made threes on the night. He knocked down yet another triple to make it 122-77. At that point, Alvarado had 26 points, three rebounds, four assists, five steals, and was a +35. McCullar added a bucket (124-77), followed by a steal and a layup to make it 126-77, putting the finishing touches on a dominant performance.
Reasons The Knicks Won:
Jose Alvarado delivered a historic performance, becoming the first player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, eight made threes, and five steals in under 30 minutes. He also became just the second Knick since the 1982-83 season to post 25-plus points and five-plus steals off the bench, joining J.R. Smith in 2012. His explosion off the bench completely shifted the game’s momentum and buried Philadelphia early.
The Knicks’ core continues to dominate impact metrics. Over the team’s last 12 games, Karl-Anthony Towns leads the NBA in cumulative plus-minus at +158, with Jalen Brunson right behind at +151. During that span, Towns owns a +23.8 net rating, with New York scoring 121.5 points per 100 possessions and allowing just 97.6 when he’s on the floor. The Knicks are 10-2 in those 12 games, including a 54-point win over Brooklyn on January 21 and this 49-point blowout in Philadelphia—two of the largest margins in franchise history.
Defensively, New York suffocated the 76ers. Josh Hart allowed 6-of-19 shooting and two threes, Mikal Bridges gave up just 3-of-8 with zero threes, Towns allowed 3-of-10 with no threes, Landry Shamet held opponents to 8-of-11 with no threes, Jalen Brunson allowed 4-of-12 with one three, Mitchell Robinson 2-of-6 with no threes, and Mohamed Diawara 3-of-10 with no threes allowed. Diawara limited Trendon Watford to 3-of-7 shooting (42.9 percent) and zero threes. Bridges held VJ to 1-of-4 shooting and no threes in 4:17 of matchup time, while Towns held VJ scoreless at 0-of-4 from the field. Kelly Oubre shot 0-of-6 and struggled throughout. As a team, Philadelphia shot just 37.5 percent from the field on 88 attempts, went 6-of-32 from three (18.8 percent), and committed 18 turnovers, highlighting the Knicks’ complete two-way dominance.
Game 55 was a reminder of both growth and perspective. The Knicks have had a couple of bad losses this season, the worst to me being the one against the Pacers, but the responses from knicks after some of these losses has mattered. They’ve stacked statement wins, including the recent thrashing of the Celtics and now the obliteration of the 76ers in one of the most dominant performances in franchise history. That balance is what defines serious teams: learning from the lows and answering with emphatic highs. Peace and blessings, and thank you for supporting another State Game article.