The Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks lock horns again for Game 2 of their series. Will the 76ers respond to their Game 1 debacle with a win? Or, will the Knicks dominate Philly again?

Catch this game live on Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 7:00 AM, Manila time.

Away: Philadelphia 76ers (0-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Tyrese Maxey
  • VJ Edgecombe
  • Kelly Oubre Jr.
  • Paul George
  • Joel Embiid

Nothing was flattering for the 76ers about their Game 1 performance. The Knicks took Philly to the woodshed and handed Joel Embiid and company a brutal 127-98 loss. The good news for the Sixers is that they have plenty of time to turn things around. 

They are a much better team than the version of themselves that got shredded for 39 points. In Game 2, Philadelphia can focus on its defense after the Knicks shot 63% from the field in the series opener. It will always be difficult to beat a team with that kind of shooting, let alone a talented bunch like New York. 

Of course, the 76ers also have to find their offense. Embiid had 14 points on just 3/11 shooting in Game 1, while Tyrese Maxey scored 13 points on 3/9 shooting. Those are not going to cut it for Philadelphia, which averaged 109.3 points on 47 FG% in the final three games of their previous series against the Boston Celtics.

Home: New York Knicks (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Jalen Brunson
  • Josh Hart
  • Mikal Bridges
  • OG Anunoby
  • Karl-Anthony Towns

The Knicks are producing unreal winning margins of late. Before they crushed Philadelphia in Game 1, the Knicks averaged 126.7 points through the final three games of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, who were held to only 94.7 points over the same stretch. New York clearly carried that incredible form into the second round, as the Knicks clobbered the 76ers to start things up in this new series. 

Jalen Brunson dropped 35 points on 12/18 shooting in Game 1, while OG Anunoby had 18 points. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each produced 17 points for the Knicks, who also knocked down 19 threes on 37 attempts (51%). 

They are not going to shoot like that all the time, but New York has shown it can win games with its defense. The Knicks are so far second among all teams that made the playoffs with a 103.1 defensive rating.

Picks

Spread: Philadelphia 76ers  (+7.0)
Over/Under: Under (215.5)