PHILADELPHIA — It might have been bright and sunny on a 72-degree day outside of the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday, but inside, there was torrential downpour. The Knicks — led by Miles McBride — rained 3s from start to finish.
“Obviously, all of our guys, starting with Jalen [Brunson] and KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], were really good, but Deuce — he was unbelievable,” head coach Mike Brown said after the Knicks completed a 4-0 sweep of the 76ers on Sunday. “His ability to stretch the floor and create space for others is second to none. He’s got a confidence about him and in himself that just makes us take another level on both ends of the floor.”
The Knicks tied an NBA playoff record with 25 made three-pointers on 44 attempts in 57% effort from downtown on Sunday. McBride, who started for the injured OG Anunoby (hamstring), shot seven of nine from downtown. He made three straight threes in the first quarter to go on a personal 9-0 run to blow the game wide-open early.
“They left me open,” McBride said with a smile at his locker after the game. “This is what I expect to do. That’s why the coaching staff trusts me, my teammates trust me. And I trust my work.”
“It’s Mother’s Day. It comes from his mom. Get that correct. It comes from his mom,” Brown added. “[Deuce is] just tough. He’s tough. He’s a football player, you know? In order to have a chance in life and at anything you do, you have to have a short memory, and he definitely has a short memory.”
McBride joined OG Anunoby as the only players in the 2026 NBA playoffs to score at least 25 points with only three or fewer missed shots without a single turnover in a game.
“He was fantastic. The start of the game really was the Deuce McBride show,” said Towns. “He went out there and hit some really big shots that gave us momentum. We talked about how we wanted to start fast and we’ve talked about starts, and Deuce allowed us to do that.
“Shout out to Deuce. That’s one of the best games I’ve ever seen Deuce play, especially in the moment.”
The Knicks are now in a three-way tie with the 2023 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, who each made 25 3s in a playoff game. The Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, went on to win the 2016 NBA Finals. The Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, won it all in 2021.
“It’s definitely special. I didn’t even know [about the record] honestly,” said McBride. “To have anything like that on your name is a legacy you want.”
The Knicks recorded 33 assists on their 49 made field goals. They scored 80 points in a half for the second time this playoff run — and now own the two highest-scoring playoff halves since at least 2000.
“It felt great. Guys were sacrificing good shots for better shots, and when you do that, the ball has energy and we have to knock down shots,” said Josh Hart. “So playing a style like that is fun.”
Hart, who missed 27 of his first 34 playoff 3s, shot four-of-six from downtown in the closeout Game 4.
“My right hand remembered that the goal was to make 3s,” he said at his locker after the game. “So happy to have her back.”