The New York Knicks had the entire Madison Square Garden exploding last Sunday as they took a 1-0 lead in their first-round series versus the Philadelphia 76ers. The job is far from done for the Knicks, but will they move closer to the second round with another win this Tuesday? Or, will the Philadelphia 76ers tie the series up at 1-1 before traveling back to the City of Brotherly Love?

Catch this game live on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 7:30 AM, Manila time

Away: Philadelphia 76ers (0-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• Tyrese Maxey
• Kyle Lowry
• Kelly Oubre Jr.
• Tobias Harris
• Joel Embiid

Before anything else, the 76ers need to know if Joel Embiid will be ready for Game 2 after an injury scare in Game 1’s 111-104 loss to the Knicks on Sunday. Embiid seemed to have hurt his knee in the series opener but was able to start in the second half and finish the contest with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. 

By the looks of it and given that this is the playoffs, it seems like a fair bet that the reigning NBA MVP will be on the floor on Tuesday for the Sixers, who are 19-16-0 in the 2023-24 season against the spread in games after a loss. Embiid is a problem for the Knicks – and so is Tyrese Maxey, who had 33 points in Game 1. However, it’s clear that the 76ers are going to need others to chip in significant contributions (*coughs in Tobias Harris). While the Knicks got a massive lift from their bench in Game 1 76ers only got seven points from their relievers.

Home: New York Knicks (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

• Jalen Brunson
• Donte DiVincenzo
• Josh Hart
• OG Anunoby
• Isaiah Hartenstein

The Knicks did just fine in Game 1. They had a slow start and got dominated in the third quarter, but overall, they got the job done, thanks in large part to their aforementioned bench. Miles McBride gave New York a huge lift with his 21 points on the strength of five triples, while Bojan Bogdanovic had 13 points. Mitchell Robinson also provided eight points, but perhaps more importantly, grabbed 12 boards. Rebounding was a huge reason for the Knicks’ success against Philly. 

New York was a huge +22 in that department in Game 1 and that fed the Knicks with a bunch of fastbreak opportunities while killing plenty of scoring chances for Philadelphia. The Knicks ended up +16 in terms of fastbreak points and were +10 in field-goal attempts. If Embiid misses Game 2 or looks slowed down by an injury, the Sixers would be in big trouble again on the glass. The Knicks are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 home games in the postseason dating back to 2013.

Picks

Spread: New York Knicks (+4.5)

Over/Under: Over (209.0)