Game 1
After trumping the Miami Heat in the seventh vs eighth-place Play-In Game, the Philadelphia 76ers have locked up the seventh in the NBA Playoffs, earning them a first-round matchup with the New York Knicks.
The Knicks may be the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, but this won’t be an easy opening series for them. Neither New York nor Philly are typical teams in their respective spots in the standings, and this could ultimately spell the demise for the Knicks.
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First and foremost, the Sixers only wound up as the seventh seed and a Play-In Team due to injury. Had Joel Embiid not gone down for two-thirds of the season with a knee injury, Philadelphia would have been competing for a top-three spot in the conference. After all, the Sixers racked up a 31-8 record when the reigning MVP was in the lineup, a .79 win rate that would have been the top in the East.
With Embiid back and fully healthy, this Sixers team is no typical seventh seed. They proved their mettle by dismantling the Heat in the Play-In to guarantee themselves a playoff spot. In that contest, they were able to overcome poor shooting in the first three quarters from Embiid to get the win.
- Spread: +3 -107 76ers – knicks -3 -113
- Totals: o209 -107 76ers – knicks u209 -113
- Date & Time: Saturday, April 20th, 2024 6:00 PM ET
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Watch: ESPN
Tyrese Maxey’s ascension and Nick Nurse’s ingenuity as a play caller alongside Embiid’s dominance should make them a dark-horse contender to represent the East in the Finals.
Drawing Philadelphia was extremely terrible luck for the Knicks, who have already hurdled plenty of poor fortune to admirably earn the two seed. Despite losing starting center and All-Defense candidate Mitchell Robinson for a significant portion of the year, New York was able to get great play out of their next man up, Isaiah Hartenstein, and climb the standings. They also had to trudge through a stretch without two-way wing OG Anunoby, their prized acquisition ahead of the trade deadline.
Betting Trends | ||
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 | Philadelphia are 6-0 SU in their last 6 games against an opponent in the Eastern Conference conference. |  |
Despite successfully breezing through that uphill climb to grab a top two spot in the East, the Knicks still drew the reigning MVP as their first-round opponent. Not only will they have to face Embiid, Maxey, and the rest of the Sixers, but they’ll have to do it without Julius Randle who had to receive season-ending shoulder surgery.
They may have gotten Mitchell Robinson back just in time for the postseason, but they’ll still be shorthanded in these playoffs. And their first-round couldn’t be any worse of a draw.
Round 1 is set đź”’ pic.twitter.com/m9B2cGL7JL
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 18, 2024
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| Title: Knicks draw worst-case scenario matchup with Sixers
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: April 19th , 2024
