The Knicks have a tough matchup in round two. NBAE via Getty The Knicks didn’t expect this foe in front of them in the second round of the playoffs.
Boston blew a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven, and the Philadelphia 76ers now meet the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
As expected, the Knicks are big favorites here, coming in at -250 on BetMGM, with the comeback on Nick Nurse’s group opening at +200.
The Knicks are rightfully given plenty of respect, but the 76ers are peaking at the right time with a loaded roster on paper, including Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George, V.J. Edgecombe, and a solid surrounding bench.
It’s anyone’s guess whether all those guys will stay healthy throughout the series, but they played phenomenal basketball to win three straight and take the series.
Oddsmakers expect the Knicks to make quick work of Philadelphia with a projected series total of 5.5 (-130) total games.
Joel Embiid will need to stay healthy to keep the 76ers in this series. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Knicks vs. 76ers series odds TeamSeries winnerSeries spreadSeries total gamesKnicks-250-1.5 (-130)Over 5.5 (-130)76ers+200+1.5 (+105)Under 5.5 (+105) Knicks vs. 76ers series preview, prediction The Knicks, largely on the back of an insane Game 6 performance where they blew the Hawks out of their own building, led the NBA in net rating through the first round of the playoffs.
Even if you take that destruction out of the equation, the Knicks were still third in net rating going into that game.
Meanwhile, the 76ers had a -9.1 net rating through that time, and their last three games soared to a 13.9 net rating, the fourth best in the league.
Basically, this series comes down to whether you believe the 76ers’ improvements are real.
Philadelphia turned the ball over just 10.7 times per game in the seven-game series, which was largely responsible for their series win.
Meanwhile, the Knicks forced 8.8 steals per game, the second-most among teams still active in the playoffs, behind only the Thunder.
There’s certainly merit in the idea that the 76ers are improved, though I don’t know that Embiid can stay healthy enough to win four games here.
The Knicks have a tough matchup in round two. NBAE via Getty Betting on the NBA? Check out the best NBA betting sites Read our guide on how to bet on basketball I’ll take the over 5.5 total games, as I suspect the Knicks win in six or seven games.
PREDICTION: Series total over 5.5 games (-130, BetMGM)
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
