(503) Philadelphia 76ers at (504) New York Knicks
5% Philadelphia 76ers +5.0 (-110)
We know all the talk in the this series is about Embiid and his health. Without Embiid the chances of a Sixers series win goes down tremendously, with him Philadelphia has the more talented team. They found out without him what it was like when he had an injury scare at the end of the first half in game 1. The Knicks when on a 9-0 run to end the half. They list Joel as questionable tonight, but by all accounts he was feeling fine yesterday and should be ready to go for tonight. With that said if the 76ers make improvements in stopping the Knicks from 3PT land they should have a very good chance of evening the series up this evening. Philadelphia allowed the Knicks who are a middle of the road 3PT shooting team at 14th in the league, to shoot 46% in game 1 giving up 16 3 PT makes. It is not like the 76ers can't defend the 3 ball as they were 6th in the league this year holding teams to 35.5%. Both teams sport a top 10 defense, and I would look for adjustments by Philadelphia to make sure the Knicks don't get as many good looks from 3 tonight. Meanwhile Philadelphia was below their season average from 3 point land and ultimately the difference in the 7 pt loss. New York made 4 more 3's than Philadelphia while they both took the same about of attempts. Given the numbers, a slight improvement could turn the pendulum this evening. I look for Philadelphia to come out tonight and throw the first punch. Trailing 1-0 the series, they will come out with a sense of urgency. The 76ers will give the Knicks all they can handle this evening, and don't be shocked if the series is 1-1 by evenings end. Take the points with Philadelphia.