76ers vs Knicks Game 2 Picks, Odds | NBA Playoffs Prediction

76ers vs Knicks Game 2 Picks, Odds | NBA Playoffs Prediction

The 2024 NBA Playoffs continue with a solid 3-game slate on Monday night -- and the second matchup of the evening we'll preview is 76ers vs Knicks Game 2, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

The 76ers are 5-point underdogs on the spread in Monday's contest, while the total is set at over/under 209.5 total points at DraftKings.

Here's everything you need to know about 76ers vs Knicks -- the latest betting odds, as well as our expert picks and prediction for the NBA Playoffs on Monday, April 22.

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76ers vs Knicks Odds

PHI @ NY Odds

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76ers vs Knicks Picks & Prediction

C’mon, you gotta be kidding. How stinkin’ lucky are the New York Knicks, huh?

In Saturday’s first round series opener between the Knicks and 76ers, it looked like New York was in trouble right out of the gate, as Philadelphia jumped out to an 18-7 lead in the opening minutes, before having that lead slowly erased during Joel Embiid’s first trip to the bench for rest.

However, with the Sixers trailing by five points with less than three minutes to play in the second quarter, Embiid made an incredible dunk over Mitchell Robsinson to cut the lead to three, and subsequently, Philly’s big man tumbled to the ground and exited the game with re-aggravated knee injury – and it was lights out for the rest of the quarter, as the Knicks immediately went on a 9-0 run to close the half and take a 12-point lead to the break.

Embiid returned in the second half though, and yet again, the Knicks really struggled when the big man was on the floor, highlighted by the Sixers outscoring New York 36-21 in the third quarter to take a three-point lead heading into the final stanza.

Jalen Brunson was locked up all game. He scored 22 points on 8-of-26 from the floor in Game 1, which may be a little bit of foreshadowing for what’s to come for the Knicks’ superstar. On the season, Brunson averaged 28.7 points per game on 48% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Against the Sixers though, he averaged just 22.3 points per game on 40% shooting and 30% from long range in four outings versus Philly.

So, how did they do it? 1.) a monster fourth-quarter from Josh Hart, 2.) an outlier officiating performance from Scott Foster’s crew, and 3.) Deuce McBride? 

The Sixers rank 4th in the league in free throw attempts per game and the Knicks rank 16th, which is no fluke given Embiid’s prowess at getting to the line, as opposed to the guards and wings carrying most of the scoring load for New York. But every time the Sixers tried to extend their lead in the first half of Saturday’s contest, New York was bailed out by ticky tack fouls that were not being called both ways – highlighted by the Knicks shooting 20 free throws in the first half to just 10 for the Sixers.

Anybody that watched Saturday’s game knows that the Sixers didn’t actually commit two-times more fouls than New York in the first half of Saturday’s contest. But here’s to hoping it all balances out eventually.

However, to give credit where it’s due, Scott Foster didn’t win Game 1 for the Knicks. Josh Hart and Miles McBride did, and they deserve all the praise in the world for dragging their team to the finish line in what would’ve been a crushing home loss to open the series. With that in mind though, I wouldn’t bank on a repeat performance in Game 2.

McBride knocked down 5-of-7 three-point attempts and scored 21 points on the evening, which was a stunning uptick in production for a guy that averages 8.3 points on less than 20 minutes per game on the season. And then in the fourth quarter, McBride cooled off, but Josh Hart managed to step up and seal the deal by scoring 13 points and making 3-of-4 three-point attempts in the final stanza. Which again, isn’t something we should come to expect from a guy that made 1.0 three-pointer per game at a 31% clip during the regular season.

Embiid was sidelined for 43 of 82 games for Philadelphia this season, and the Sixers went in the tank in the absence of the reigning MVP, as they posted a miserable record of 16-27 in those contests – and from January 25 through March 30, they were one of the worst teams in basketball, yielding a record of 10-22 while ranking 22nd in offensive rating and 26th in defensive rating during that stretch.

Embiid is back in the lineup for the Sixers now though, and Philadelphia posted a stellar record of 31-8 to go along with a net rating of +10.5 in 39 regular season games with the reigning MVP, which would be the 2nd-best net rating in the entire league if that number persisted, only behind Boston (+11.7).

The Sixers were +14 with Embiid on the floor in Game 1, and they were -21 without him. Nick Nurse will be keen on minimizing that imbalance moving forward. I’ll take the points with Philly in Game 2.

Pick: 76ers +5 (-110)

Click this link for picks and predictions for all First Round NBA Playoff matchups!

76ers vs Knicks Game Time & TV Channel

Date: Monday, April 22
Matchup: Atlantic
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York, NY
Time-TV: TNT, 7:30 p.m. ET

76ers vs Knicks Betting Stats

2) New York Knicks
(2nd Place, Atlantic)

  • Odds to Win Finals: +1800
  • Odds to Win Conference: +700
  • Odds to Win Series: -290
  • SU: 50-32
  • ATS: 44-37-1
  • O/U: 37-45
  • PPG: 112.8
  • OPPG: 108.2

Click this link for the latest betting trends and market movements leading up to the NBA Finals!

7) Philadelphia 76ers
(3rd Place, Atlantic)

  • Odds to Win Finals: +3000
  • Odds to Win Conference: +1000
  • Odds to Win Series: +225
  • SU: 47-35
  • ATS: 48-33-1
  • O/U: 35-47
  • PPG: 114.6
  • OPPG: 111.5

NBA Playoffs Betting Resources