Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks Game 5: Eastern Conference Playoffs – First round

The New York Knicks have a chance to close out the series when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Can the Sixers stay alive?

The Philadelphia 76ers had a lot of problems this season, and even though they got Joel Embiid back just in time for the playoffs, it is a fact that the center has not fully recovered from the injury. Somehow he scored 50 points in Game 3 to lead his team to victory, but he could not provide a similar performance in the last one, and the Sixers are now 3-1 down. The Sixers shot only 35.4% from the field and 27.3% from deep, and that was not enough to get the win. Embiid scored 27 points, followed by Tyrese Maxey with 23.

The Knicks are foe real this season

The New York Knicks finished second in the Eastern Conference, and with the way they have been playing so far in the playoffs,  Knicks fans have very good reason to be excited about this team. Jalen Brunson has been just phenomenal, scoring 47 points in the 97-92 Game 4 Knicks win. Josh Hart did the dirty job for the team, adding 17 rebounds to his four points. OG Anunoby had his best game of the series, recording 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Betting Trends

The Sixers have covered the spread in 12 of the last 15 games overall. They are 6-1 ATS in the last 7 games on the road and 10-3 ATS in the last 13 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall.

Prediction and Conclusion

All four games of the series between the Knicks and the Sixers have been exciting, and the same will be the case with the following one. The Knicks have a chance to advance to the second playoff round for the second consecutive year and only the fourth time this century. Jalen Brunson has been absolutely brilliant, scoring 57 points in the last one. All the players on the team are happy with their roles, and the energy they play with makes them a really tough team to beat. The Sixers are trying to hang on, but Joel Embiid looks tired and simply not ready to play on the requested level night in and night out. The Knicks will punch hard from tip-off and will win by covering the -4.5-point spread.