Josh Hart after Knicks fans’ road invasion: ‘I used to think Philly was a sports town’

The Sixers took part in that effort, too, by restricting original ticket sales to residents of the Greater Philadelphia area and by donating seats to local community groups.

But that wasn’t enough to deter Knicks fans — not with Philadelphia a mere 90 miles away from Manhattan, and not with how much cheaper the tickets were compared to games at Madison Square Garden.

By Friday afternoon, the ticket resale marketplace TickPick said nearly 61% of purchases through their platform for that night’s Game 3 had come from New York and New Jersey, compared to 21.7% from Pennsylvania.

At that time, 66% of TickPick purchases for Sunday’s Game 4 had come from New York and New Jersey, compared to 17.3% from Pennsylvania.

“It felt louder here for them than it did in the Garden,” Maxey said after Sunday’s loss. “But we’ve got to put a stop to it as a team. Winning these games, that’s what’s gonna make our fans louder than theirs. I don’t know how to keep them out. I don’t know the logistics of it. But it does suck. I can’t even lie.”

The Knicks treated the fans who made the trip to a historic performance, making 12 of their first 13 attempts from 3-point range and tying an NBA record with 18 made 3-pointers in the first half.

They finished 25 of 44 (56.8%) on 3-pointers as they wrapped up their fourth win by at least 29 points in this postseason.

“I know that we travel well, and obviously, being close to New York helps,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who also played at Villanova. “It’s a really cool feeling. It’s something I will always think is one of the coolest things in the world, when you hear Knicks fans in opposing arenas. It’s a really cool feeling. I can’t lie.”

____