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- What: NBA Playoffs first round
- Who: Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks
- When: Next game of the series – Thursday, April 25, 2024
- Where: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- How to watch: TNT, MSG and NBC Sports
With the NBA postseason here, there’s of course going to be a ton of attention on teams like the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. These two teams have formed quite the rivalry in recent seasons and the fact that they’re facing off in the first round of the playoffs is great to see. Having said that, the Knicks are favored to take down the 76ers in the 2024 NBA playoffs. Will the Manhattan side be able to get the job done?
In Game 1 of the series, the Knicks put on quite the performance, with Josh Hart having one of his biggest games of the season. Not only that, but Jalen Brunson was able to remind everyone of how great he can be with the ball in his hands. Now, New York is going to want to take advantage of how well they played and put the pressure on Philly. The 76ers are dealing with some issues, most notably the injury to Joel Embiid.
| Knicks vs. 76ers odds |  |  |  |
| Knicks to win | -520 | -520 | -520 |
| 76ers to win | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Over five games | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under five games | -110 | -110 | -110 |
In case you missed it, Embiid went down with a minor knee injury during Game 1 of the series. As soon as he fell to the hardwood, a ton of 76ers fans were worried sick that he had potentially suffered a torn ACL. However, this injury doesn’t appear to be too serious, though it will have a negative impact on his game the rest of the way. This is bad news across the board for the 76ers, who rely on him heavily on both ends of the floor.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Knicks hold -520 NBA playoffs betting odds to win the series. As for the 76ers, they’re the underdogs with their +350 betting odds, especially with them now being down 0-2. While Philly has the talent to post an upset, we think that the Knicks are going to prove to be too tough to match up with. With all of that said, we’re going with New York as our pick to win the series and move on to the next round.
For the fans. For the city. For the playoffs.
Lock in 🔒| #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/BmRxB6Bc70
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 20, 2024
The Knicks will have a mountain to climb in the Eastern Conference
While we do think New York will be able to advance, it’s important to remember that the Knicks will have a mountain to climb in the Eastern Conference the rest of the way. That’s because the Boston Celtics hold the best betting odds to win the conference, while the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t too far behind them. As things stand, the Knicks hold +800 NBA betting odds to move on to the NBA Finals, which tells you that people in Vegas don’t have a ton of confidence in them doing so.
If the Knicks, which we expect, take down the 76ers, they’d move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals to face either the Bucks or Pacers. Milwaukee is expected to move on. Should the Bucks and Knicks meet in the second round, the expectation is that the Bucks would be the favorites in that series despite New York being the No. 2 seed. The Knicks will again be focused on silencing their haters, but that’d be easier said than done.
The Garden was ELECTRIC last night ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/M0z5pV4yru
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 21, 2024
“I knew I was going to be left open, disrespected on the 3-point line, and if you base it off numbers in the regular season, I think I shot like 30 percent — so it’s a smart game plan,” Hart said after the Knicks won Game 1 against Philly. “For me, it’s just continuing to take the shot. I made my first one and missed my next four. And normally I would have just been hesitant. But I just got to continue to shoot, continue to shoot.”
The hope would be that the Knicks would then take down Milwaukee to meet Boston with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, but we’re still a ways away from that happening. Regardless, the Knicks are a team that people are going to have to start taking seriously, especially with Hart playing so well. It will be interesting to see how far this team can go, but a lot of people in the Big Apple think this team has what it takes to post some upsets.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are helping this team at the right time
It goes without saying, but Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are helping this team at the right time. Brunson is loved all over New York City. That’s a given. He’s been playing at an MVP level in 2023-24, which has been awesome to see for him. As we noted above, though, the strong start to the playoffs for Hart is fantastic news for the Knicks and the entire coaching staff. When Hart catches fire, it’s great to see.
While the Knicks still have a lot more action to get through, they will be relying on these two superstars to help them try and come out on top of some tough contests. New York is loaded with a ton of talent, but Hart and Brunson are going to look to step up whenever their numbers are called. If they can keep shooting the ball lights out the way they have, this could be a year to remember for the Knicks.
