NBA Playoff Picks 4/25 – New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Playoff Picks 4/25 – New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs continues tonight with a pivotal Game Three between the second-seeded New York Knicks (50-32) and the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) on TNT. The series shifts to Philadelphia after the first two games were played at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have won six of the last seven against the 76ers. Philadelphia is a 4-point favorite and the total is 201.5. 

New York took a 2-0 series lead after an improbable 104-101 win on Monday night. The Knicks outscored the 76ers 8-0 over the final 30 seconds to escape with the victory and complete one of the most stunning comebacks in playoff history. Donte DiVincenzo hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 13 seconds left to give the Knicks a 102-101 lead after a controversial no-call where 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey appeared to be fouled. OG Anunoby hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left to make the final margin three.

Tyrese Maxey amassed 35 points (12-22 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 10 assists and 9 rebounds across 44 minutes in the Game 2 loss. Joel Embiid added 34 points (12-29 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 8-12 FT), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and a block over 39 minutes against New York. Maxey and Embiid became the first 76ers duo to record 30-point double-doubles in a playoff game. 

Knicks guard/forward Josh Hart had a spectacular all-around performance in Game 2, finishing with 22 points (7-16 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals in 48 minutes. Jalen Brunson had a woeful shooting night – 8 for 29 from the floor – but ended up scoring 24 points, along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists in Monday’s win. Donte DiVincenzo added 19 points (5-10 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals across 37 minutes. The Villanova Trio of Brunson, DiVincenzo and Hart have carried New York through the first two games of this series. 

GAME STORYLINES: NEW YORK

In July 2022, the New York Knicks signed unrestricted free agent guard Jalen Brunson to a 4-year, $104 million contract. It seemed like a ho-hum deal at the time as Brunson had spent the majority of his 4-year NBA career being a role player with the Dallas Mavericks. Brunson averaged then-career highs of 16.3 ppg, 4.8 apg and 3.9 rpg across 79 games in his final season (2021-22) with Dallas. He elevated his production during the 2022 playoffs averaging 21.6 ppg across 18 games as Dallas made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals as the No. 4 seed. Looking back, we can see that Brunson’s increased production during the 2022 playoffs foreshadowed the greatness he would achieve as a Knick.

In two seasons with the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson has become an All-Star and a franchise player. Brunson has almost singlehandedly turned around a Knicks franchise that had become sort of a laughingstock for the past two decades. In his first season (2022-23) with the Knicks, Brunson increased his scoring average by almost 8 points from 16.3 ppg to 24 ppg, he also averaged a career-high 6.2 apg. More importantly, Brunson’s fantastic play led to team success as New York finished 47-35 which is their most wins since the 2012-13 season. The Knicks also won a playoff series for the first time since that 2013 season.

Jalen Brunson was even better in year two with the Knicks this season. He finished the regular season by averaging career-highs of 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 threes. His 28.7 ppg is tied for the third highest scoring average in Knicks franchise history. He led New York to 50 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and was named an All-Star for the second straight season. Brunson is shooting just 29.1 percent from the floor in New York’s first 2 playoff games, but he’s averaging 7 rebounds and 7 assists which shows he can impact the game with more than just scoring. 

Versatile wings Josh Hart (9.4 pts, 8.3 rebs, 4.1 asts) and Donte DiVincenzo (15.5 pts, 3.7 rebs, 1.3 stls, 3.5 threes) along with center Isaiah Hartenstein (7.8 pts, 8.3 rebs, 1.2 stls, 1.1 blks, 64.4% from 2) were reliable and consistent contributors all season as the Knicks dealt with a bevy of injuries to key players and trade defections. Hart is having a monster series against the 76ers so far, he’s averaging 21.5 points, 14 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1 block and 4 threes per game. 

GAME STORYLINES: PHILADELPHIA

Everything was going perfectly for the Philadelphia 76ers through the first few months of the season. They had one of the better records in the NBA at 29-13 and reigning MVP Joel Embiid was having an even better season. But things took a turn for the worse when Embiid suffered an injury to his left meniscus on Jan. 30 at Golden State. The knee injury sidelined Embiid for 29 games. The 76ers went 11-18 without him and dropped to the Play-In round in the Eastern Conference standings. Embiid returned on Apr. 2 and the 76ers went 7-0 with him but were unable to qualify for one of the top 6 playoff spots. 

Despite being hobbled by the knee injury, Embiid is still putting up MVP-like numbers in Games 1 and 2. He’s averaging 31.5 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 threes over 38 minutes against the Knicks. Embiid tweaked his surgically repaired knee in the second quarter of Game 1 when he landed awkwardly after a dunk. He was able to return and finish the game with 29 points and 8 rebounds. He’s questionable for Game 3 tonight but is expected to play. Embiid also said, “We’re going to win the series,” in the locker room to reporters after the Game 2 loss.

Explosive guard Tyrese Maxey was tremendous this season in year four. The 23-year-old Maxey averaged career-highs of 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 threes across 70 games. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season. He also did an excellent job carrying a bigger scoring load with Embiid missing 43 games. Maxey has been excellent in this series against the Knicks, he’s averaging 34 points, 7 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 4 threes and 1 block while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three. On Tuesday, Maxey won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. He became the second 76er to take home the award, Dana Barros won it in 1994-95. 

   

THE PICK: 76ERS (-4)

I think the 76ers will come out sharp and focused for Game 3 due to the frustration of the Game 2 loss and no-calls at the end of that game. The raucous home crowd should also have them fired up. Lay the Points and take the 76ers!