Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Expert Pick And Predictions – April 20, 2024

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS VS. NEW YORK KNICKS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS – APRIL 20, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA playoff coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate features the Philadelphia 76ers (48-35 SU, 48-34-1 ATS) taking on the New York Knicks (50-32 SU, 44-37-1 ATS).

Here is a look at which squad has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Saturday, April 20, 2024 @ 6:00 PM ET

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

TV: ESPN

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can Embiid And The Sixers Steal Game 1?

 Philadelphia 76ers Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 114.6 PPG – 15^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 116.9 points per 100 possessions – 14^TH
• Scoring Defense: 111.5 PPG – 9^TH                        
• Defensive Efficiency: 113.8 points per 100 possessions – 11^TH

The Sixers were one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference for a good chunk of the season. However, Joel Embiid went down with a meniscus injury, resulting in the team plummeting into the play-in field.

Fortunately, they managed to knock off the Miami Heat 105-104 in the first round of the play-in tournament despite trailing by 12 points at halftime. Joel Embiid paced the offense with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists.

Tyrone Maxey added 19 points and six assists. It is also worth noting that Nicolas Batum scored 20 points off the bench. He shot 7-for-12 from the field, including an impressive 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.

While the come-from-behind win against Miami was impressive, the Sixers must play at a high level against a Knicks team that dominated them during the regular season.

Can The Knicks Continue Their Dominance Over The Sixers?

 New York Knicks Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 112.8 PPG – 19^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 118.2 points per 100 possessions – 7^TH          
• Scoring Defense: 108.2 PPG – 2^ND
• Defensive Efficiency: 113.4 points per 100 possessions – 10^TH

Meanwhile, the Knicks concluded the season on a five-game winning streak en route to earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the season finale, New York defeated the Chicago Bulls by a 120-119 margin.

Brunson led the way with 40 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists. This was the 11^th time he scored 40 or more points this season.

“It’s a goal to be the best team we can be by the end of the year, and for us now it’s just move on from that,” Brunson said after the game. “It’s something to be crossed off and have to get better from here.”

New York took three of the four regular-season meetings between the two teams. Can they continue their dominance against Philly, or will the road team flip the narrative on its head?

Now that we have set the table for the series opener, let’s look at the betting trends for both sides.

The Spread

The Knicks opened as a consensus 2.5-point favorite (per OddShark). The line has recently moved to three points for the home team. Here is a look at how both ball clubs have fared against the spread this season.

• The Sixers are a ridiculous 10-1 ATS in their last 11 contests.
• Philadelphia is 2-4 ATS in its last six matchups against New York.
• In their last five road games, the Sixers are a perfect 5-0 against the spread.
• The Knicks are 6-3 ATS the last nine times they have played on a Saturday.
• In its last six games as the favorite, New York is 2-4 against the spread.

Given that New York has an against-the-spread record of 22-14-1 when they have been favored to win by three or more points, I like their chances of covering here.

Prediction: New York Knicks (-3)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 206.5 points (per Pre-Game.com). At the time of this writing, the line has moved up to 209 points (via DraftKings). Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice.

• The total has gone OVER four times in the Sixers’ last five contests.
• The OVER total 5-0 in the Knicks’ last five games.
• In the Knicks’ last nine matchups against Eastern Conference teams, the OVER total prevailed eight times.
• Philly and New York have averaged a combined 227.4 points per outing. This is 18.4 points more than the 209 points total.
• Opponents of both these teams are averaging 219.7 points per game, which is 10.7 points higher than the points total for this matchup.

Prediction: OVER 209 points

Player Prop Bet

Considering the Sixers have zero chance of winning this game or the series without Embiid on the court, he is the key player to watch in this matchup. He currently has -118 odds of scoring more than 29.5 points and -102 odds of finishing with less than 29.5 points.

Here is a glance to see how his numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup.

• In 19 career games against the Knicks, he is averaging 25.5 points per contest.
• During the season, Embiid averaged 34.7 PPG across 39 outings.
• In 15 road contests, the reigning MVP is averaging 33.1 points per game.
• Embiid has played against Eastern Conference teams 28 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 34.1 points per outing.
• In seven matchups against Atlantic Division opponents, the Sixers’ big man is averaging 28.9 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, Embiid has averaged 32.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest, exceeding the points total for this matchup six times during that stretch.