The New York Knicks buried the Philadelphia 76ers through a barrage of 3-pointers. Yet New York's NBA Playoffs record-tying 25 made threes wasn't the major problem Nick Nurse pointed out.
The 76ers head coach became blunt on what the real issue was in the 144-114 defeat on Sunday.
“The energy obviously was a big gap, between their energy and our energy, I thought,” Nurse told reporters afterward. “They [New York] came out playing super fast.”
"The energy obviously was a big gap, between their energy and our energy, I thought"
Nick Nurse cites transition defense as one of the major issues for the 76ers today: pic.twitter.com/etejeYbYBK
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 10, 2026
Nurse even witnessed a different type of energetic force beforehand in the stands. Philly fans looked greatly outnumbered inside the Wells Fargo Center as Knick fans comprised the crowd. Even insider for The Athletic Fred Katz believed the venue became louder than Madison Square Garden thanks to Knicks fans.
Knicks players fed off that energy, especially Miles McBride from deep. McBride emerged as the breakout performer in front of the 76ers by knocking down six made 3-pointers. And he pulled off the feat in helping replace OG Anunoby due to an NBA Injury.
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Philadelphia looked vastly overmatched and drew out fierce critics. Former 76ers star Charles Barkley and his fellow Inside the NBA colleague Shaquille O'Neal clowned the franchise at halftime.
Shaq and Charles Barkley brought the brooms out at halftime of Game 4 🧹 😅
(via @espn) pic.twitter.com/aeYqo90ABT
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 10, 2026
Philly struggled to match the Knicks' energy and level throughout the evening and during the series. New York delivered an astonishing 56.8% from behind the arc compared to Philly's dismal 22.9. The Knicks grabbed more rebounds too with 47.
Both teams created nine turnovers against one another, except the Knicks dropped 23 points off those miscues. Philly ended just scoring 10 points off turnovers.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 24 points. Tyrese Maxey scored 17 while Kelly Oubre delivered 10 as the last to hit double figures.
The New York Knicks buried the Philadelphia 76ers through a barrage of 3-pointers. Yet New York's NBA Playoffs record-tying 25 made threes wasn't the major problem Nick Nurse pointed out. The 76ers head coach became blunt on what the real issue was in the 144-114 defeat on Sunday.