The New York Knicks have reached the NBA Conference Finals for the second year in a row with German center Ariel Hukporti.
The two-time champions from New York made it into the playoff semi-finals exactly 53 years after they last won the title with a 144:114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. New York swept the chanceless Sixers off the floor in four games with a “sweep” – i.e. without a defeat – and has already won a total of seven wins in a row.
The Knicks were helped on Sunday evening (May 10, 2026) by a veritable flood of successful long-distance throws, which gave them a decisive lead in the first quarter and caused coach Mike Brown to look at the game report in disbelief at the subsequent press conference. “We hit 25 three-pointers on 44 attempts, if I’m reading that correctly”said the head coach and cheered: “This is unbelievable. This is great basketball.”
Mc Bride and Brunson are particularly accurate
While the 25 three-pointers made set the NBA playoff record, they set a new record for the team – as did the 144 points in a playoff game.
The best shooters for the Knicks were guards Miles McBride and Jalen Brunson, who together hit 13 of 19 three-pointers and led New York to victory with 25 and 22 points.
Substitute Hukporti had five points, four rebounds and one assist in just over 15 minutes. In the semifinals there could be a German duel with national team captain Dennis Schröder. However, the playmaker and his Cleveland Cavaliers are behind 1-2 after three games against the Detroit Pistons. Game four of a maximum of seven takes place on Monday.
