The Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks match player stats have never been more worth studying than they are right now. The Knicks swept the Sixers in the 2026 playoffs, went on to win the championship, and Philadelphia responded by rebuilding its entire starting five. The two teams open the 2026-27 season against each other, so the numbers from last year matter more than ever.
This guide covers what actually happened in last season’s series, which players drove the results, and what to watch when the rivalry restarts.
Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks Match Player Stats: Latest Updates (September 30, 2026)
The biggest update is the calendar. The Knicks open their title defense against LeBron James and the new-look 76ers at Madison Square Garden on October 20, where they will receive their championship rings and hang the banner. The two teams meet again in Philadelphia on October 30, on the opening night of NBA Cup games. The Knicks then return to Philadelphia on February 11, 2027. A Sixers schedule breakdown also lists a February 27 game at the Knicks.
Both rosters look different from the ones that met in May. Here is what changed.
Sixers: A Loaded Starting Five
Philadelphia traded for Jaylen Brown and signed free agent LeBron James, giving Joel Embiid the most talented supporting core of his career. Brown came from the Celtics in a deal that sent Paul George and draft picks to Boston. James signed a two-year veteran-minimum deal worth $7.95 million.
The projected starters are James, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown and Embiid. Other additions include Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ariel Hukporti, Labaron Philon Jr., Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade.
Knicks: The Champions Stay Together, Mostly
New York returns all five starters, and Andre Drummond replaces Mitchell Robinson as Karl-Anthony Towns’ backup. Robinson signed with the rival Celtics, while Jordan Clarkson, Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet all re-signed on below-market deals. That backup center swap is one of the few real question marks for the champions.
Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks Match Player Stats: 2026 Eastern Conference Semifinals Recap
To understand where the rivalry stands, start with the sweep. Philadelphia finished the regular season 45-37 as the seventh seed, then beat Boston in seven games after coming back from a 3-1 deficit, the first such comeback in franchise history. The Sixers arrived in round two with real momentum. It vanished quickly.
Game-by-Game Scores
| Game | Result | Top Knicks Scorer | Top Sixers Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Knicks 137, Sixers 98 | Brunson, 35 | Paul George, 17 |
| Game 2 | Knicks 108, Sixers 102 | Brunson, 26 | Maxey, 26 |
| Game 3 | Knicks 108, Sixers 94 | Brunson, 33 | Maxey (quiet night) |
| Game 4 | Knicks 144, Sixers 114 | McBride, 25 | Embiid, 24 |
Paul George led Philadelphia with 17 in the opener, and the Knicks’ 137 points on 98 possessions were the Sixers’ worst defensive game of the season. Game 2 was much closer without Embiid, who was ruled out with hip and ankle injuries, and Maxey scored 26 in the loss. Brunson added 33 points and nine assists in Game 3, and Mikal Bridges scored 23.
In the clincher, Miles McBride scored a game-high 25 points with seven three-pointers, filling in for the injured OG Anunoby, while Towns had 17 points and 10 assists. The Knicks tied the postseason record with 25 threes and were up 81-57 at halftime.
Series Team Numbers
The Knicks averaged 124.3 points per game in the series to Philadelphia’s 102.0. That is an 89-point cumulative margin over four games, and it was the first Knicks best-of-seven sweep since the 1999 second round against Atlanta. It was also the first time Philadelphia had been swept since the 2020 bubble.
Rebounding told a similar story. The Knicks were the best rebounding team in the playoffs by a healthy margin, and that showed up in second-chance points across the series.
Player Stats Breakdown: Who Won Each Matchup
Jalen Brunson: The Series’ Best Player
Brunson led all scorers at 29.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. His four scoring nights of 35, 26, 33 and 22 show how consistent he was. Even in the “quiet” Game 4, he hit six threes and added six assists.
The most useful stat is tactical. Embiid defended 45 ball screens set for Brunson across the two games he played through Game 3, and the Knicks scored 1.30 points per possession on that action. Philadelphia’s drop-style coverage gave Brunson room to work, and switching him onto slower defenders was even worse for the Sixers.
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe
Maxey led Philadelphia at 18.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His 26-point Game 2 showed what he can do when the Sixers keep the game close. In Game 1, he scored just 13 on 3-of-9 shooting. The pattern was clear: when the Knicks blitzed and hard-hedged, Maxey needed more help than the roster could give him.
Edgecombe had defended Brunson well during the regular season, and he started Game 1 on him. In the playoffs, though, Brunson eventually got separation from him.
Joel Embiid: Availability Is the Stat
Embiid put up 24 points and five rebounds in the finale while still battling injuries after an emergency appendectomy. He missed Game 2 entirely. It fits a longer trend: he has played just 57 games over the past two regular seasons combined. Every Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks match player stats comparison eventually comes back to whether he is on the floor.
Towns, Hart, Anunoby and Bridges
The Knicks’ depth of scoring was the difference. In Game 2, Towns had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Anunoby scored 24. In Game 4, Hart and Towns each scored 17 alongside Brunson’s 22. Six Knicks reached double figures in the clincher, while Philadelphia relied almost entirely on Maxey and Embiid.
Bench Impact
McBride’s seven threes in Game 4 was the standout bench performance, but the whole second unit mattered. Jordan Clarkson posted an 11.0% offensive rebounding rate in the playoffs, which ranked 11th among 144 players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game. In Game 3, his tip-out on one possession led directly to a Jose Alvarado three that gave the Knicks the lead for good. That is exactly the kind of small edge that adds up in a sweep.
2025-26 Regular Season: The Sixers-Knicks Player Stats Were Much Closer
The sweep can hide how competitive the regular season was. The teams split four games: the Sixers won 116-107 on December 19 and 130-119 on January 3, while the Knicks won 112-109 on January 24 and 138-89 on February 11.
In the January 3 game, Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe each scored at least 26 points on a combined 62.2% shooting, even though Brunson had 31. That result is worth remembering, because it shows what a healthy Sixers core can do against this defense. The 49-point February blowout shows the opposite extreme.
So the honest reading of the 2026 stats is that Philadelphia’s ceiling is high, but its floor was very low, mostly because of injuries and a roster that wasn’t fully formed.
What the Advanced Trends Say About Knicks vs 76ers
Three trends explain most of the gap in last season’s Sixers vs Knicks player stats.
Three-point volume and efficiency. The Game 4 barrage was not a fluke. The Knicks were the only team whose offense was more efficient in the 2026 playoffs (119.9 points per 100 possessions) than in the regular season (118.7). They peaked at the right time.
Rebounding. The Knicks’ edge on the glass created extra possessions in every game. If the Sixers want a different result in 2026-27, they must win that battle.
Pick-and-roll defense. The Brunson-Embiid matchup was the story of the series. The Sixers allowed 123 points per 100 possessions over the first three games. A lineup with LeBron and Brown gives Philadelphia more switchable defenders, though those two also bring their own defensive questions.
How the Knicks’ Championship Changed the Rivalry
The sweep looks even bigger in hindsight. Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game in the NBA Finals and was the unanimous Finals MVP after scoring 45 in Game 5. The Knicks beat the Spurs 4-1, and they became the first team to win both the NBA Cup and an NBA championship in the same season. Brunson also led all playoff scorers with 539 points.
For the Sixers, that means the team that beat them 4-0 turned out to be the best team in basketball. It is a tough result, but not an embarrassing one.
Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks Match Player Stats: What to Watch in 2026-27
Can LeBron and Brown Fix Philadelphia’s Defense?
James has said part of his reason for joining Philadelphia was the chance to help Embiid win his first ring. The idea is that James can handle the ball so Maxey and Edgecombe can play faster and off the ball. Watch assist and turnover numbers for James in the opener, plus how the Knicks defend Brown compared to how they defended George.
Can the Knicks Replace Robinson?
Drummond is still an elite rebounder but does not move his feet as well as Robinson does. Against Embiid, that could matter, and any extended Towns absence would expose the thinnest spot on the roster. Watch backup center minutes and Embiid’s free throw attempts.
Stats to Track in Every Meeting
- Brunson’s points and assists against the new Sixers defenders
- Maxey’s and Edgecombe’s shot attempts now that LeBron is in the lineup
- Embiid’s minutes and availability
- Three-pointers made by each team
- Total rebounds and second-chance points
- Bench points from Clarkson, Alvarado, McBride and Drummond against Philadelphia’s reserves
The Bottom Line on 76ers vs Knicks Player Stats
The Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks match player stats from 2026 tell a clear story: New York won because of Brunson’s scoring, better depth, stronger rebounding and hot shooting, while Philadelphia lost because of injuries and a lack of shot creation around Maxey. The regular-season split shows the Sixers were closer than the sweep suggests.
Now both teams have changed. The Knicks are champions with almost the same group, while the Sixers have built a superteam. The opener on October 20 is the first real test, and the box score will show quickly whether the sweep was a preview or a warning.
