Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA Game on NBCSP. The Knicks are hoping to end a 3-game losing streak as they head to the City of Brotherly Love to take on Joel Embiid and the 76ers. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Philadelphia 76ers
The story coming out of Philadelphia ahead of tonight’s game is status of James Harden who has been ruled out with a foot injury which should keep him out of action for at least a month. That is a big blow to the ambitions of the 76ers who have struggled a bit to build chemistry early on in the season. Part of the season that’s been an issue is also Joel Embiid’s health status as he continues to miss games on a regular basis. He should be ready for tonight’s game against the Knicks though, which is a major boost for the Sixers offense here.
Philly is coming off a 10 point loss against Washington, in a game in which Embiid didn’t play. The play of Tyrese Maxey has been impressive so far, he is averaging 24.2 points per game on 51% shooting from the field, so Philadelphia is no longer a one-man show in Embiid. Tonight’s match-up against the Knicks is a favorable one as they’ve beaten them 8 times in the last 10 meetings overall and in 10 of the last 11 played at home.
New York Knicks
New York is still searching for their first road win of the season. This team has lost three games in a row and their confidence is shaken after the 13 point home loss against Atlanta. After a solid 3-1 start to the season, the offense has taken a step back over the last 3 games against Milwaukee, Cleveland and Atlanta so there is still a ton of work left as we enter the 2nd month of the season. The addition of Jalen Brunson has done them well, he is leading the team with an average of 18.4 points per game while shooting 48% from the field.
R.J. Barrett has struggled a bit from three-point land, but it’s still early in the season and there’s plenty of time to turn it around. New York has done a solid job when it comes to covering the spread in road games with a 11-3 ATS record over their last 14, however they just can’t seem to figure out the 76ers. Philadelphia has beaten them 17 times in the last 19 games.
Even with Harden being out, I still fancy the 76ers here. Embiid is a nightmare match-up for the Knicks as they simply don’t have the size on the inside to slow him down. Expect him to go for at least 30 points here as he leads the 76ers to another home win. Back the home team.
Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks Predictions & Odds
The dominance of the 76ers over the Knicks can be condensed in one word and that word is defense. The Knicks are shooting just 43% from the field in the last 10 meetings while averaging 100.5 points per game, while getting outscored by 5.3 points per game. The total has gone under in 5 of the last 7 head-to-head, and I’m expecting that trend to continue tonight as Philadelphia has gone under in 4 of their last 5 at Wells Fargo Center.
The Knicks are known for slowing down the pace early on in the season, in their last 12 games played in November the total has cashed on the under 10 times. Those habits haven’t changed this season as they are in the bottom half of the NBA in pace of play averaging 100.4 possessions per game. The 76ers are even slower at just 95.6 per game and with Harden out of the line-up you’d think their playmaking would take a hit and things will slow down even further. The projected total of 223.5 points sounds a bit too much for my liking, so let’s back the under here.
