The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will begin off on Saturday and the slate will feature the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers visiting the No. 2 New York Knicks for Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. Tipoff for this Eastern Conference showdown is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
Philadelphia has already gotten a jumpstart on the postseason as it downed Miami 105-104 in Wednesday’s play-in tournament game to earn its way into the playoff bracket. Trailing by 12 at halftime, Joel Embiid and company shook off a sluggish start to chip away and eventually pull ahead of the Heat in the fourth quarter.
New York enters the postseason fresh off the franchise’s first 50-win season in just over a decade. The driving force behind the Knicks’ surge this year was Jalen Brunson, who put up career numbers with 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game and will be in line to make All-NBA in just a few short weeks. The first-time All-Star headed up a fun lineup full of complementary pieces like Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and OG Anunoby.
New York won the season series against Philadelphia 3-1, but it should be noted that the last three meetings came when Embiid was sidelined with his meniscus injury. Both teams are heading into the postseason hot and its a testament to their resiliency as both had to adjust throughout the regular season while dealing with injuries to key players.
And speaking of that, Embiid (knee injury recovery) is listed as questionable for the 76ers while De’Anthony Melton (back) is once again out.
New York is listed as a 3-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 209. The Knicks are listed as a -148 favorite on the moneyline, making the 76ers a +124 underdog.
76ers vs. Knicks, 6 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: 76ers +3
Madison Square Garden should be absolutely electric for this series-opener and this homecourt advantage for the Knicks should come in handy for New York as the series goes on, but not tonight. Philly has already had to grind out a postseason win this week and is coming in with a little bit of momentum established. Also, keep in mind that this Knicks lineup has not gone up against Embiid since January 5 and there is no Julius Randle to combat him in the paint. Give me the Sixers to cover, win, and land the first punch in this series.
Over/Under: Over 209
New York had one of the best defenses in the entire league this season but it kind of sagged off at the end, yielding an average of 113 points on 49.7% over its last 10 games. I think Philly can take advantage of this by jumping out to a faster start than it did in the Miami play-in game, eventually leading to both sides triggering the over.
