Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks – Game 2 Insights and Predictions

Philadelphia 76ers (47-35 SU, 49-34 ATS) vs. New York Knicks (50-32 SU, 46-36 ATS)

When: Monday, April 22nd, 7:30 PM (ET)

Where: Madison Square Garden, NY, New York

TV: TNT

Point Spread: Phi +5/NY -5

Total: 207.5

Money Line: Philadelphia 76ers +164/-199

Notable Injuries

76ers

• Joel Embiid (Questionable) Knee
• Robert Covington (Out) Knee
• De’Anthony Melton (Out) Back

Knicks

• Julius Randle (Out) Shoulder

The 76ers and Knicks are set to tip off game two of their first-round series at 7:30 PM ET from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks currently lead the series 1-0 and are favored by 5 points at home. The over/under line is sitting at 207.5, and the money line odds are +164 for the 76ers and -199 for the Knicks. TNT is carrying the game on TV.

The Knicks picked up a 111-104 win over the 76ers in the most recent game of this series. The Knicks were 4.5-point favorites heading into the game, and their seven-point win was enough to cover the spread. The over/under line for the game was 208 points, and the teams combined for 215 points.

Philadelphia got off to a hot start in this game, outscoring the Knicks 34-25 in the first quarter. However, the Knicks quickly turned things around in the 2nd, outscoring the 76ers 33-12. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson each scored 22 points for the Knicks, and Hart also pulled down 13 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 33 points.

Recent Form

In terms of their O/U record, the 76ers are 44-40 for the season. The over has hit in their last two games, and their games have averaged 225.8 points per game.

This season, the average O/U line in Philadelphia’s games is 226.4 points, which is higher than today’s line of 207.5. In 83 of their games, the O/U line has been higher than 207.5.

Against the spread, the 76ers are 49-34 for the season and have failed to cover in their last two games. On the road, they are 25-17 ATS compared to 24-17 ATS at home.

Looking at their record vs. the spread as the underdog, the 76ers are 15-16 and 9-23 as the underdog straight up. Today, they are getting 5 points as the underdog.

Philadelphia’s last game was also against the Knicks, and they lost by a score of 111-104. The O/U line for that game was 208 points, and the 76ers were 4.5-point underdogs going into the game.

Overall, the 76ers are 47-35 this season, which puts them in 7th place in the Eastern Conference. Against the East, they are 31-21 and 8-8 against other teams in the Atlantic Division.

The Knicks are favored by 5 points today against the 76ers. New York has won their last four games as the favorite and has a record of 37-11 as the favorite this season.

Looking at their ATS record, the Knicks are 23-19 at home and 23-17 on the road. They have covered the spread in four straight home games and have an overall ATS record of 46-36.

In terms of their O/U record, the Knicks are 37-45-1 for the season. The over has hit in six straight games for New York, and their games have averaged a combined 220.9 points per game.

New York’s most recent game was also against the 76ers, and they won by a score of 111-104. The Knicks were favored by 4.5 points in that game, and the O/U line was 208.

The Knicks finished the regular season with a record of 50-32, which is good for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Against other Eastern Conference teams, they went 35-17 and 12-5 in their division.

The Historicals

Across the previous five meetings between the teams, the Knicks have an average scoring margin of +15 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 4-1. In these matchups, the teams have put together an over-under mark of 1-4. Combined, they averaged 195 points in these games.

Analysis

Over Joel Embiid’s last four games, he has hit 42.9% of his shots from the field and three 3-pt per game. Tyrese Maxey has hit three threes per game in his last four games while averaging 26.5 points per game on 49.4% shooting.

Philadelphia is averaging 114.6 points per game this season, which is 15th in the league. Their scoring average is a bit higher at home, at 115.2 points per game. For the season, they are 23rd in field goal percentage and 19th in three-point shooting percentage.

This season, the 76ers defense has been impressive, holding the 9th position in the league while permitting an average of 111.5 points per contest. The Philadelphia defense has allowed opponents to shoot 35.4% from beyond the arc this season. Opposing teams are also hitting 46.7% of their field goal attempts vs. Philadelphia.

New York comes into the game as the NBA’s last-ranked team in pace, averaging 94.8 possessions per game. For the season, they are 19th in scoring at 112.8 points per contest. The Knicks are also near the bottom of the league in scoring at home, putting up 111.2 points per game on their home floor.

Jalen Brunson has been carrying the Knicks offense of late, averaging 35.2 points per game in his last five games. This has come while hitting 46.9% of his shots from the field. Over this stretch, he is also averaging 3.6 made threes per game. Josh Hart has averaged 16.6 points and 11.8 rebounds in his last five games.

The Knicks’ defense is ranked 2nd, allowing 108.2 points per game. The Knicks defense is coming off a game in which they held the 76ers offense to just 39.6% shooting. Overall, they gave up 104 points to Philadelphia.

Betting Trends

• Through their last ten road games, Philadelphia has an ATS record of just 7-3. However, their overall record was 5-5 while averaging 112 points per game.
• In their last ten games at home, the Knicks have a straight-up record of 6-4 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 115 points per game in these contests.
• Through their last five games as the betting underdog, the 76ers have a strong record vs the spread, going 3-2. Their straight-up mark in these contests is 1-4.
• Although the Knicks have a strong straight-up record in their last five games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 2-3.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

The big question mark heading into today’s game is the health of Joel Embiid. Things didn’t look good when he went down on Saturday, but he returned and finished with 29 points and played 37 minutes. Provided he plays, I like the 76ers to cover at +5. The Sixers appear to have a good game plan for Jalen Brunson, and I’m not counting on Miles McBride and Josh Hart to shoot the way did from three in that game. For tonight’s game, I like Philadelphia +5.