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The new-look Philadelphia 76ers will pay a visit to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks in a 1PM ET tip-off on Sunday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Sixers-Knicks prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
James Harden had an electric home debut for Philadelphia as he lit up the Minnesota Timberwolves with 27 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists to help lead the Sixers to a 133-102 win last Friday. The NBA's league leader in points Joel Embiid led the way for Philly in scoring with 34 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Tyrese Maxey contributed 28 points in his first start alongside The Beard.
Meanwhile, the Knicks lost to the Miami Heat 115-100 in their first game after the break. This came despite a career night from RJ Barrett, who poured in a career-best 46 points, including 30 in the first half. New York has now lost four straight dating back to before the February intermission. The Knicks have lost 14 of their last 17 games.
New York has had Philadelphia's edge as far as the 2021-22 campaign is concerned, having won both their encounters this season so far. In their first meeting, they blew out the Sixers 112-99 and held Embiid to just 14 points. In the second game, Embiid didn't play due to COVID and New York won by seven points.
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Here is how FanDuel has set the Sixers-Knicks NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA odds: Sixers–Knicks Odds
Philadelphia 76ers: -7.5 (-110)
New York Knicks: +7.5 (-110)
Over: 219.5 (-110)
Under: 219.5 (-110)
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Why the Sixers could cover the spread
All the hype surrounding the Sixers following James Harden's acquisition exceeded expectations for the first game at least. Philadelphia entered with a 2.5-point spread and a 29-29 ATS record. They completely blew it out of the park with a 31-point victory over the Timberwolves.
The trio of Embiid, Harden, and Maxey showed just how much of a problem they could be as they combined for 89 points in their first game together. Harden looks like he's enjoying basketball again. Embiid seems like he had a lot of fun playing alongside someone like The Beard. And Maxey absolutely flourished sharing the backcourt with the former league MVP. That is bad news for the rest of the league, especially the Knicks, who have been struggling incredibly over the last month.
They also enter this game with a clean bill of health as everyone on their regular roster is available to play.
Philadelphia's win and Cleveland's loss to the Pistons on Friday moved the Sixers to third in the Eastern Conference. They are now 36-23 on the season with a 20-10 road record, which is the best in the East. The Sixers have a moneyline record of 36-23, but their over/under is just at 25-33.
Why the Knicks could cover the spread
The Knicks enter Sunday as major underdogs despite playing at home. They have the first three games of their current four-game home stretch and could very well drop all of them with an inspired Sixers team coming into the building. New York is just 13-18 at Madison Square Garden this season and have lost four straight at home dating back to pre-All-Star Weekend.
Anyone in a Knicks jersey is capable of catching fire as RJ Barrett did against Miami. As bad of a season as they've had, Julius Randle and Evan Fournier can explode from time to time as well. But they'll need to offer resistance defensively if they want to have a chance against a Sixers squad boasting a dynamic trio of Embiid, Harden, and Maxey on offense.
Health-wise, New York is still without guard Derrick Rose, who recently had another procedure on his ankle. Rookie Quentin Grimes, who has been seeing more playing time over the last couple of months, has also been ruled out over the next two weeks due to a subluxation of his right patella. The Knicks have also shut down Kemba Walker for the rest of the season.
New York's hopes of making the postseason are getting slimmer by the day. The Knicks are sitting at 12th in the East with a 25-35 record on the season. Against the spread, they've gone just 26-34. They are 25-35 on the moneyline and 29-31 on the over/under.
Final Sixers–Knicks Prediction & Pick
Despite a relatively wide 8.5-point spread, the Sixers must be the choice here. They're still on a high after their massive acquisition of Harden and it clearly showed in their win over Minnesota. This team looks dangerous and the Garden crowd could be in for a long afternoon.
Final Sixers–Knicks Prediction & Pick: Sixers: -7.5 (-110)
