In a rematch of one of last year’s playoff series, the Knicks and 76ers do battle tonight in Philadelphia. The best part? Not only is this a star-studded matchup, but it also marks the beginning of NBA Cup play for both of these teams as they get going in the in-season tournament’s group stage. As such, expect a colorful court and perhaps some extra motivation from New York, which won the Cup and the Finals last season.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, New York enters as a 1.5-point favorite on the road with -125 odds to win on the Moneyline. The game total is set at 226.5 combined points.
Here are the top Knicks vs. 76ers prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Friday night matchup.
Best Knicks vs. 76ers player prop bets
OG Anunoby under 2.5 3PM (-149)
Just because these odds are listed at -149 doesn’t make it a bad bet. OG Anunoby is third on the Knicks in scoring right now and has a sizable role in the offense, but this is a matchup in which it’s probably best to fade the former NBA Finals hero. He’s producing 17.6 PPG but his three-point shooting leaves a lot to be desired at just 27.3%. The forward is taking an average of 6.6 attempts per game from beyond the arc, a fairly sizable role when it comes to volume from downtown. However, he’s connecting on just 1.8 of those shots per game. Anunoby has now played five games, hitting just two or fewer three-pointers in four of those. It feels more likely than not that he gets back to his usual form at some point since he’s shot at least 37.2% from distance in his other three seasons with the Knicks, but I don’t see his luck changing tonight. The opposing Sixers are tough against the three – they rank eighth in opponent 3P% (31.3%) as well as third in opponent 3PA per game (33.2) and 3PM per game (10.4). A cold streak meeting a poor matchup works in favor of the under on Anunoby’s line tonight.
LeBron James over 6.5 assists (-111)
The King has looked quite impressive when it comes to counting stats through his first four games with the 76ers. LeBron James made waves across the league landscape when he signed with Philadelphia this past offseason, and while his usage rate is low by his standards at 22.8, he’s still made a quick impact. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, the latter of which we’ll focus on here with this prop bet. James, one of the best passers in basketball, is getting to play distributor already alongside his star teammates. He’s coming off 10 assists against the Pacers and had seven dimes in the season opener against the Knicks, who he faces again tonight. In the two games in which he failed to record over 6.5 dimes, he still wound up with five in each. Now, we know the New York defense is quite solid, but that’s not enough to make me hesitate with this prop. He went over 6.5 assists in 37/70 games (including the playoffs) last year, and now, he has better teammates who can knock down shots off his passes.
