New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

Tuesday night sees the Philadelphia 76ers hosting the New York Knicks in what should be a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview but at the moment is a matchup between two struggling teams.

Philadelphia comes in at 2-7, while New York is 4-5. It should also be noted that all eight contests on Tuesday are part of the NBA Cup, which was known as the In-Season Tournament last year.

Let’s take a look at the odds and best bets to make for this nationally-televised matchup. 

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers betting picks and predictions

Philadelphia 76ers -1 (-110)

New York was part of the biggest offseason trade, landing Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The Knicks also signed Mikal Bridges, formerly of the Brooklyn Nets.

Those acquisitions are all well and good, but there was always a chance that this new-look team would take some time to gel. Well, that has turned out to be exactly the case. Head coach Tom Thibodeau’s squad is under .500 and has dropped three of its last four games.

Among the losses is a 23-point rout at the hands of the Boston Celtics and a bad one to the Atlanta Hawks. Bridges retooled his shooting prior to the 2023/24 campaign and early returns are discouraging, as he is making just 31.7 percent of his three-point attempts. The Villanova product is scoring 15.3 points per game after averaging 21.2 points in his two seasons with Brooklyn.

The 76ers are deeper and now one of their All-Stars is back. Tyrese Maxey remains sidelined by a hamstring problem, but Joel Embiid will make his season debut on Tuesday.

Embiid missed the first nine games first because of an injury and then due to a suspension. The Kansas product can be expected to come out of the gates in a big way, as he is not only well rested but also owns the Knicks.

In one game against them last season, he finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds. In three head-to-head contests in 2022/23, the seven-footer averaged 33.7 PPG and 11.0 RPG while shooting 14.7 free-throw attempts per contest (made 11.7), and for his career, he has averaged 25.5 points and 10.7 boards in 19 games against New York.

With Embiid on the floor and playing in their own building, the Sixers should be able to cover a miniscule -1.0 spread. 

Under 217.0 total points (-110)

The Knicks’ style of play is such that you generally want to lean toward the under when they take the court. They are dead last in the entire league in pace, averaging only 98.4 possessions per game.

The 76ers aren’t quite that slow (102.5 possessions), but they are still in the bottom half of the NBA in that department (18th-fastest).

Embiid’s arrival means Philadelphia will now play bigger and that also probably means slower. Don’t be surprised if the Sixers are content to play just as slow as the Knicks on Tuesday. Also keep in mind that with Embiid having not yet suited up and Maxey out, nobody on the active roster is currently contributing more than 15.1 points per game. 

Moreover, we cannot discount the fact that this game is part of the NBA Cup – Tuesday marks the opening night of this 2024/25 in-season event. It’s not a playoff situation by any means, but at the same time teams may take it just a little bit more seriously than they would a normal regular-season affair.

Overall intensity and commitment to defense should be heightened, which means points will be more difficult to come by. All things considered, Under 217.0 points looks like the right play.

Read more betting picks and predictions for the NBA on site.

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers odds

New York Knicks	-105 ML
Philadelphia 76ers	-115 ML
Spread	PHI 76ers -1.0
Total Points	O/U 217.0

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.