by
- What: NBA playoffs first round
- Who: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
- When: Game 5 on Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden in New York, New York
- How to watch: NBA League Pass and TNT
Will this be the end of the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid in the 2024 NBA postseason? Things are looking that way, as the 76ers, who were expected to potentially compete for an NBA Finals title this season, are one loss away from being eliminated. That’s because the New York Knicks are on fire and they’re up 3-1 in the series. Having said that, the Knicks are favored to beat the 76ers in a crucial Game 5. Will they be able to finish things off?
On Sunday, the 76ers and Knicks met at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly, with the hope being that the home team would be able to even up the series. Instead, sharpshooter Jalen Brunson had his best game of the series, powering New York to an impressive 97-92 win. In the victory, Brunson indeed was brilliant, finishing with a game-high 47 points. Brunson delivered when his team needed to and fans are loving it.
| Knicks vs 76ers Game 5 |  |  |  |
| Knicks to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| 76ers to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 186 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 186 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Not only that, but head coach Tom Thibodeaux spoke incredibly highly of Brunson after the final whistle too, saying Brunson is the best player he’s been around. That’s quite the statement from the NY head coach, but people can’t get over his 47 points, which set a new postseason single-game franchise record for the Knicks. Now, Brunson is hoping he can help the good times keep on going.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Knicks hold -110 NBA playoffs betting odds to win Game 5, while the 76ers are the underdogs with their +125 NBA betting odds. With a win in this contest, the Knicks will be able to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals. It’s not going to be easy, but with this one being played at Madison Square Garden, we’re going with New York as our pick to post a strong win.
Joel Embiid on large amount of Knicks fans at Wells Fargo today: “Disappointing. I love our fans. Think it's unfortunate and I'm not calling them out, but it is disappointing. Obviously you got a lot of Knicks fans and they're down the road and I've never seen it, and I've been…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 28, 2024
The Knicks have improved their NBA Finals betting odds
While it’s still going to be quite tough for New York to win it all, it’s important to note that the Knicks have improved their NBA Finals betting odds from when the postseason got started. The Boston Celtics are still the odds-on favorites to win the Finals, as they were nothing short of brilliant in the regular season. However, this series against Philly has shown just how dominant the Knicks can be when they catch fire.
Not only has Brunson been spectacular, but there aren’t enough good things to say about Josh Hart. Hart has been crucial for the Knicks this series, as he’s getting things done on both ends of the floor. Not only can Hart knock down some big shorts for Thibodeaux when needed, but he’s also a monster near the glass. Hart always gives his all in trying to bring in rebounds, which has been huge for this team.
That’s our point guard 👏 https://t.co/EjEQf8efqj pic.twitter.com/KXr2evuRyS
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 28, 2024
Unless there’s a shocker posted, New York should move on to the next round of the postseason, where they’ll likely be taking on the Milwaukee Bucks for a best-of-seven series. Milwaukee is of course best known for the tremendous play of Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he’s one of the best players in the game. Whenever Giannis takes the floor, he has the potential to score a lot of points and impress when on defense.
Should the Bucks and Knicks go on to face one another, it’d be a heck of a series. Per the oddsmakers, the Knicks have +950 odds to win the NBA finals this year. There’s a long road ahead of them, but it’s great to see that they’re playing with so much confidence right now. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the playoffs go for the Knicks, but we expect them to make a ton of noise the rest of the way.
Will anyone in the East be able to stop the Celtics?
A question a lot of NBA fans have on their minds right now is will anyone in the East be able to stop the Celtics? Boston is in the middle of their series with the Miami Heat, but it took a 2-1 series lead on Saturday night thanks to a dominant performance. Just like the Knicks, Boston is expected to have no issues getting to the next round. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing so well, this team could very well go on to win the title. However, Denver, New York and others want to prevent that.
It’s hard to say if anyone will have luck in slowing these guys down. For a while, Boston has had the No. 1 NBA Finals betting odds. As things stand, they’re set at +120, with Denver not too far behind them. We can’t wait to see how things shape out for the title race, but it could be tough to imagine Boston losing a series in the coming weeks. We have hope New York can make some noise, but no one knows if Boston will be beaten. It’s going to be a difficult challenge, no doubt.
