The Philadelphia 76ers advanced out of the Play-In Tournament to set up a matchup with the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference first round.
The Sixers needed some late-game Joel Embiid heroics as well as Nicolas Batum to beat the Heat but will need a cleaner effort against the Knicks to navigate a road win (or at least cover).
Here’s our betting preview for Game 1 of the first round from Madison Square Garden.
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Sixers vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total
Sixers vs. Knicks how to watch
- Date: Saturday, April 20th
- Game Time: 6:00 PM EST
- Venue: Madison Square Garden
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
Sixers vs. Knicks injury reports
Sixers injury report
De’Anthony Melton - back - questionable
Knicks injury report
N/A
Sixers vs. Knicks key players to watch
Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid: Embiid is of course the most impactful player in this series, potentially in the entire league, but he is still ramping up after mid-season knee surgery. It was clear that he was laboring in the team’s Play-In Tournament victory against the Heat and that he can still take over games, closing out Miami with an array of rebounds, passes, and baskets. Can Embiid out-pace a Knicks team that has come into form around Jalen Brunson?
New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson: Brunson has been playing at an All-NBA level all year, but has really turned it up in April, averaging about 36 points per game with nearly nine assists in eight games this month. The 76ers don’t have a clear answer to slow down Brunson, who may exploit the currently slow footed Embiid around the rim.
Sixers vs. Knicks prediction and pick
This series is going to be physical and likely played at an incredibly slow pace. While both teams have put together elite offenses (when Embiid is on the floor for Philadelphia), but based more on efficiency. The Knicks play at the slowest adjusted tempo in the entire league, so I expect this game to be bogged down quite a bit.
Further, both teams play inside the arc, each outside the top 10 in three-point rate this season, and with length on the wing from both sides, this game can be incredibly low-scoring and can look like the Heat-Sixers game from Wednesday, which was trending towards a clear under before a late flurry of foul shots.
How Embiid is officiated will likely dictate the side in this game. If he is able to barrel his way to the free throw line and get the likes of Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble, the Sixers can control this game. However, if the Knicks are able to play a physical brand of basketball and push around a hobbled Embiid, this can be a trying effort from New York.
I think this game will have limited possessions and be tight throughout with both teams working in the half court and hunting for the best shot late in the clock. Give me the under in this first game as each team feels out its respective opponent.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.