New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Analysis and Prediction – New York Knicks will host Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Playoffs.
New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Odds
New York Knicks Team News
The New York Knicks secured a 111:104 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs. This gave them a 1-0 lead in the series, and they need three more wins to match last season’s result when they reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart led the Knicks’ scorers with 22 points each in that victory, but the absolute hero was Miles McBride, who shot 5/7 from three-point range and was the key player in his team’s comeback in the second quarter. Hart also made a couple of threes in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the victory and the 1-0 lead. Bojan Bogdanovic also played a notable role off the bench, and head coach Tom Thibodeau used a total of eight players. It’s worth mentioning Mitchell Robinson, who defensively slowed down Joel Embiid, while more is expected from Donte DiVincenzo in Game 2.
The trademark of these New York Knicks has been excellent defense, and it seems they can even improve further in this series. It’s true that three-point shooting won’t always work as it did on Saturday night, but that doesn’t have to harm the Knicks if they raise their defense to at least one more level.
Philadelphia 76ers Team News
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t hide that they much preferred facing the New York Knicks over the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference, but it could easily happen that Nick Nurse’s team doesn’t go further than this stage of the competition. If they’re down 0-2 after two games in the “Big Apple,” their chances will drastically diminish.
Although the 76ers had the advantage in the second half, the impression is that the match was decided in the second quarter. In moments when Joel Embiid was on the bench, the Knicks built a significant lead, and then Embiid suffered an injury at the end of the first half, completely shifting the momentum. Although the Pennsylvania franchise managed to come back thanks to Kyle Lowry, they didn’t have the strength to maintain it and make a breakthrough. Embiid still feels the effects of the injury, which is more than obvious. He gives little contribution defensively and is not as dominant in offense. Tyrese Maxey was very good, but he won’t be able to do it alone. Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum and Buddy Hield had no impact, and that must change in this game.
The New York Knicks bench made a huge difference in the first game, and that’s definitely where the Philadelphia 76ers will need to react. With a hobbled Embiid and Maxey alone, it won’t be enough to eliminate the Knicks. With a greater contribution from the bench, defense definitely needs to be at a much higher level, primarily energetically.
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New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers H2H
The New York Knicks won the first match in this best-of-seven series with a score of 111:104. During the regular season, the Knicks won three out of four games against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Absences and Injuries
Julius Randle, Charlie Brown and Duane Washington will not play for the New York Knicks. Robert Covington is sidelined for the Philadelphia 76ers, while De’Anthony Melton is questionable.
New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction
The fact is that Joel Embiid is not at 100%, and with him like this, it’s very hard to imagine a comeback from the Philadelphia 76ers after being down 0-2 in the series. They are surely aware of this, and if they want to make any impact in this playoffs, they will need to adopt a defensive mindset. And if they do that, they’ll make shots more difficult for the New York Knicks, which wasn’t the case on Saturday. Perhaps the 76ers won’t manage to take a break, but we predict another dramatic finish.
Tip-off Time: Wednesday, 23.04.2024, 01:30 CET
Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers +5.5
Odds: 1.77
Sportsbook: MyBookie
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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