The Knicks have taken a commanding 2-0 lead over the Sixers in their opening-round series and will now head to Philly looking to put the second round in their sights with a big win on Thursday night.
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
With injury troubles once again befalling Joel Embiid this week, can we expect the Sixers to come out with a head of steam here and play at the level they proved capable of down the stretch this year?
Or, will the Knicks continue to devastate from the perimeter and on the glass on their way to a series-altering victory?
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Let's get into how to bet on Knicks vs. 76ers on Thursday, April 25.
NEW YORK KNICKS VS. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS FANDUEL ODDS FOR APR. 25
MONEY LINE
- NEW YORK KNICKS: +190
- PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: -230
SPREAD
- NEW YORK KNICKS: +5.5 (-108)
- PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: -5.5 (-112)
OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)
- OVER 204 (-110)
- UNDER 204 (-100)
BEST ODDS FOR NEW YORK KNICKS VS. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
- The underdogs are being offered at slightly different numbers, with the best odds on the Knicks +6 (-110) at Caesars.
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- BetMGM has the best odds on the Sixers -5.5 (-110)
- The best deal on the Over is at BetMGM, offering Over 203.5 (-115). FanDuel has the best odds on the Under 204 (-110)
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NEW YORK KNICKS VS. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS INJURY REPORT
NEW YORK KNICKS INJURY REPORT
- JULIUS RANDLE - OUT - SHOULDER
- MITCHELL ROBINSON - QUESTIONABLE - ANKLE
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS INJURY REPORT
- ROBERT COVINGTON - OUT - KNEE
- JOEL EMBIID - QUESTIONABLE - KNEE
- DE'ANTHONY MELTON - QUESTIONABLE - BACK
WHY NEW YORK KNICKS WILL COVER THE SPREAD
The Knicks sat third in the league offensively during the month of April, shooting a blistering 41.4% from deep to sit inside the league's top five. In the playoffs, they've remained hot from outside at 39.7% according to Cleaning the Glass, something that is a great sign considering the Sixers closed the regular season with an impressive run against the 3 at under 38%.
New York unquestionably fired its best bullet at the Sixers in Game 1, shooting nearly 45% from 3 and scoring 124.7 points per 100 possessions.
While things weren't as tidy on defense, that turned around in a huge way in Game 2 while the offense performed somewhat admirably in spite of a 33.3% hit rate from deep.
What's interesting here is that while the Knicks have shot worse on the road this year, they've managed to score one more point per 100 possessions in these games to help out with some diminishing returns on defense.
It also helps that the Knicks owned the Sixers during the regular season with three wins in four tries, with the one loss likely due to loss of focus against a Sixers team missing all of its best players.
The Knicks did not shoot the 3 particularly well against the Sixers at just 28.7%, and while you could chalk that up as a feather in Philly's cap I'd counter by saying their +19.6 Net Rating in these games is an overwhelmingly positive sign given they didn't have their best weapon working.
It's also worth noting that the team put up 120.8 points per 100 possessions in two games played in Philly.
WHY PHILADELPHIA 76ERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD
It's quite simple, the Sixers will cover the spread off the back of Joel Embiid. This team fell off a cliff when Embiid was hurt, and rebounded with seven wins in seven games to end the month of April when they got him back. He's in the top 1% of the league in estimated impact on both ends of the floor according to Dunks and Threes, with the impact defensively really shining through.
Philly was the best rim defense in the NBA during the last month of the regular season and ranked seventh against the 3, which makes the first two games of this series al the more difficult to swallow. It will have to continue defending down low at a high level and hope its prowess against the 3 returns.
Offensively, the Sixers were at their best beyond the arc after Embiid's return and look to exploit a Knicks defense which was 11th against the 3 this season but showed its biggest liability in that area. The close to the season in that regard wasn't the strongest, and Philly has shot a decent enough 38.7% from outside through two games according to Cleaning the Glass.
FINAL KNICKS-76ERS PICK & PREDICTION
One storyline I was following in this series was the battle on the glass, given the Knicks fell off considerably in that area in the final month of the season and the Sixers never once looked imposing in that area.
Well, the Knicks have come out here and snatched away 55.5% of available rebounds through two games, something that's wildly important in the playoffs.
They've also shot the 3 quite well in this series, which is something they didn't do all season against the Sixers, and I do think alarm bells should be ringing here given New York's admirable play on the road this season, particularly in Philly.
Embiid may say the Sixers are the better team in this series, but I don't think that's remotely true if we look at how the Sixers played down the stretch and have fared so far in the playoffs. Yes, they won seven games and things picked up defensively, but I have too many questions here about the defense.
FINAL KNICKS-76ERS PICK & PREDICTION: KNICKS +6 (-110)
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