The Philadelphia 76ers are heading to New York on Sunday to take on the Knicks as they begin an impossible portion of their schedule to end the season. Having lost their last three games, the Sixers’ upcoming schedule isn’t about to get any easier, starting with back-to-back games against the Knicks. The Knicks won their last game over the Magic but are in the midst of going 2-3 over their last five games as they try to hold on to their fourth place standing in the Eastern Conference.
Sixers vs. Pelicans betting info
Spread: Philadelphia 76ers +7 | New York Knicks -7
Moneyline: Philadelphia 76ers +230 | New York Knicks -285
Total: Over/Under 210.5
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (35-28) at New York Knicks (37-26)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Watch: NBC Sports Network, ESPN 2, MSG Network
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers were in a bad spot when reigning MVP Joel Embiid went down with a knee injury in February, but it’s become worse with All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey having sustained a concussion and will miss his fourth straight game while trying to clear the league’s concussion protocol.
Maxey has been a savior of sorts for the Sixers this season, as the early season trade of James Harden was thought to put the Sixers in a bad position. Up stepped Maxey, taking a huge leap in his fourth season and becoming a true star on the team as he’s averaging 26.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.
Without Embiid and Maxey, the team would be in such a bad position that they’ve had to start players like Paul Reed, Kyle Lowry, Cam Payne, and Mo Bamba. While they’re all good complimentary pieces when you have your two stars on the court, they’re not starters and shouldn’t be yet. Here are the Sixers being forced into a situation they could never have predicted.
The Sixers are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and the schedule will do them no favors as the season winds down. It would be nearly impossible for them to miss the playoffs as they’re currently 10.5 games up on the 11th-seeded Brooklyn Nets, but they could surely finish in the 9th seed amidst hopes that both Maxey and Embiid will be able to return and be themselves for a playoff run.
Latest on the Knicks
The Knicks are taking on the Sixers in hopes of sweeping the season series, they’ve won the first two meetings, and getting some space in the standings before they start off a rough road trip this upcoming week. It won’t be easy for the Knicks as they’re dealing with their own injuries to stars Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, who will both be missing the game today.
The Knicks, when healthy, can put a good team on the floor that can at least compete with the upper echelon teams in the Eastern Conference, but they’re not healthy and it’s shown as they’re 4-6 over their last ten games.
Without Randle and Anunoby, the Knicks will be relying heavily on Jalen Brunson, the teams leading scorer, and Bojan Bogdanovic to lead the team. Brunson is tied for 7th in the league in scoring this season with 27.2 points per game and has been the Knicks best player throughout the season.
Bogdanovic came over to the Knicks at the trade deadline as they hoped to bolster their roster for a playoff push, not anticipating that they’d be missing Randle and Anunoby for extended periods of time.
What to watch for tonight
After a disastrous first half in their last game, which saw the Sixers score just 34 points in the first half and go down by 29 points to the Pelicans, the Sixers put together a very solid second half in which they clawed their way back before losing 103-95. The team will have to come out with the same intensity they had in the second half of their last game to start against the Knicks. While the Knicks may be battling injuries as well, Brunson and Bogdanovic can score in bunches, and the Sixers could wind up in a similar situation to Friday night’s game.
Buddy Hield and Tobias Harris are going to have great games if the Sixers have a chance against the Knicks. If the Sixers’ two best active players can manage to get hot to start, the Sixers will stand a chance. The big question is if Mo Bamba, slated to start at center for the Sixers, will be as bad as he was on Friday when he had just two points and six rebounds in the game. Reserve center Paul Reed played 27 minutes and had 17 points and 11 rebounds on Friday. and is a much better player at this point in the season than Bamba but may be best suited to come off the bench for the team.
If Kyle Lowry can turn back the clock, Cam Payne and Kelly Oubre Jr. can continue playing well and the team can get some quality minutes form players like Ricky Council IV, KJ Martin, and Jeff Dowtin, the Sixers have a chance to really upset the Knicks and get some momentum as they plow through this impossible portion of the schedule.
Oh yeah, Nico Batum should be back for the Sixers tonight as well.
Prediction
Sixers 102 – Knicks 115
