Report card from the Knicks’ 137-98 Game 1 win over the 76ers on Monday night at the Garden:
Jalen Brunson
Hot early while dropping an efficient 27 points by halftime, feasting on Joel Embiid in the pick-and-roll. This will be a big series for Brunson so long as Embiid is in the game and the Sixers can’t find a way to hide their center on defense. Brunson finished with 35 points on 12-for-18 shooting. He was plus-27 in 31 minutes. Can’t expect better.
Grade: A+
Karl-Anthony Towns
Foul trouble took Towns off the court early, a predictable consequence of matching one-on-one on defense with Embiid. As a result, Towns logged just 20 minutes, but he was efficient offensively with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting.