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The New York Knicks will be playing on the second night of a back to back as they head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers tonight. Coming off a game last night where the Knicks tried to claw back from an 18 point deficit in Brooklyn against the Nets, it will be interesting to see how much gas is in the tank when they take on Ben Simmons and company tonight. In this post, we'll make a 76ers-Knicks prediction, among other things.
Philadelphia is an Eastern Conference best 17-3 at home, and third best in the NBA against the spread, with a mark of 22-16-1. The Knicks are right behind the 76ers ATS, sitting at 23-17-0. Let's jump into the matchup.
NBA Odds: 76ers Knicks Odds
New York Knicks +7 (-112)
Over 216.5 points (-110)
Under 216.5 points (-110)
Why the Knicks Could Cover the Spread
The Knicks are coming off of a nail biter against the Brooklyn Nets last night. What seemed like a game teetering on a blowout with the Nets up 18 in the second half, the Knicks came back and had a chance to tie the game with a three in the final seconds before ultimately losing 117-112.
Tom Thibodeau's club fears nobody, relying on their stingy defense to frustrate the opposition on a night in, night out basis. The Knicks allow an NBA low 105.3 points per game and hold teams to a league low 33.4% from the land beyond.
Immanuel Quickley started for the first time last night in the absence of Elfrid Payton and Derrick Rose and the Knicks first unit had that extra shot to the arm with him out on the floor with Julius Randle and RJ Barrett for much of the night. Quickley finished the game with 21 points, including a 4-12 clip from three point range. The starting five looked far more well rounded with him in it.
Joel Embiid will be missing his second game in a row after hyperextending his leg against the Washington Wizards four days ago. The Knicks will look to capitalize with the MVP candidate out for the 76ers.
This could be an opportunity for Julius Randle to feast, depending on who Ben Simmons matches up with. Look for the Knicks to have the offense flow through their all-star inside the arc, with Quickley and Reggie Bullock ready to fire away on the perimeter with Barrett sprinkled throughout as well.
The Knicks have a chance to attack the 76ers while they are down their best piece tonight and can salvage a brutal back to back in doing so.
Why the 76ers Could Cover the Spread
Well game one without Joel Embiid, who is expected to miss a couple of weeks, was a pleasant surprise for 76ers fans.
Philadelphia throttled the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, 134-99. Without Embiid, they were paced by Tobias Harris, who poured in 23 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Danny Green chipped in 16 on an efficient 6-9 from the field and Seth Curry had 21.
Ben Simmons seemed to have a little more juice to his game, perhaps sensing the moment with Embiid out. Simmons dazzled on defense once again and provided enough of a boost to the offense with 14 points in the blowout win.
The 76ers proved for one night they can beat good competition when they took out the Spurs, and tonight they'll try to do it again against another middle of the pack, good team in the Knicks.
Philadelphia will be playing with a day of rest under their belts, while the Knicks exhausted every avenue to try and mount a comeback against the Nets just last night.
These two met way back early in the season, with the 76ers coming out on top 109-89. Of course, the 76ers had Embiid for that one and both teams have evolved since that one December 26th meet up.
Watch for the 76ers to work the offense through Tobias Harris yet again tonight while the 76ers look to clog up the paint on the defensive side, something they have excelled at all season. Philly will try to make it 14 straight wins against the Knicks tonight.
Final 76ers Knicks Prediction and Pick
Philadelphia was able to come together and elevate their game without Embiid against San Antonio on Sunday. The game never felt in danger after the 76ers led by 11 after the first quarter.
With the Knicks playing a back-to-back that featured Randle playing 41 minutes, Bullock 42 and Barrett 35, one has to wonder if they will come out a little sluggish. While I normally wouldn't worry about a Tom Thibodeau led squad playing a back-to-back because they know what to expect with him leading the charge, the nature of how that game unraveled in Brooklyn last night has me a bit worried for New York.
Immanuel Quickley in the starting lineup was a sight for sore eyes for Knicks fans who have been clamoring for that move to be made. But with him in the starting five, the bench lacked depth and scoring. The Knicks had only 16 bench points last night, with 12 of those coming from Alec Burks. With Elfrid Payton and Derrick Rose both likely out tonight, the Knicks will once again have to rely heavily on the starting five.
I'm riding with the 76ers to cover the spread tonight in a low scoring game.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION FOR 76ERS-KNICKS: PHI 103, NYK 93 (PHI -7)
