76ers vs. Knicks: NBA odds, Picks and Predictions
76ers vs. Knicks Odds
| 76ers Odds | -1.5 |
| Knicks Odds | +1.5 |
| Over/Under | 218.5 |
| Date | Sun, Dec. 25 |
| Time | 12:00 p.m. |
| TV | ABC |
On Christmas, NBA fans will get to unwrap five marquee games, beginning with the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks at noon. Entering play, the 76ers own the 5th-best record in the Eastern Conference at 19-12, followed immediately in the standings by New York at 18-15. In this holiday matchup, oddsmakers are anticipating a tightly-contested affair between these two teams, pricing the 76ers as 1.5-point road favorites on the spread at Madison Square Garden.
Philadelphia 76ers
Since James Harden returned to the floor on December 5th, the 76ers are 7-1, with their lone loss being an overtime defeat on the road against the Houston Rockets. From November 4th to December 2nd, with Harden on the sidelines, Philadelphia went 8-6, ranking 10th in the NBA with a +2.9 Net Rating and 28th in offensive efficiency, scoring 108.6 points per 100 possessions. In eight games since Harden’s return from injury, the 76ers own the third-best Net Rating in the league (+9.3) and are tied for third in offensive efficiency, scoring 115.6 points per 100 possessions. Still, it is worth noting that these numbers have been accumulated against a mostly soft schedule, featuring games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, and Detroit Pistons.
Defensively, Philadelphia has regressed slightly since getting Harden back on the floor – allowing only 106.3 points per 100 possessions in their last eight contests, compared to 105.7 points per 100 possessions in 14 games without him. The biggest difference for this defense has been the fact that they are allowing far more looks from the perimeter and far more opponent free throw attempts with Harden than they did in his absence – permitting 35.8 three-point attempts and 26.8 free-throw attempts per game with him compared to 32.2 three-point attempts and 24.0 free-throw attempts without him.
New York Knicks
Following a mediocre start to the campaign, the Knicks have been one of the best teams in the NBA during the last three weeks – ranking 2nd in the league in Net Rating (+13.2) since December 4th. In that span, New York is 8-2 overall, with notable wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Sacramento Kings during that time period. This group has been extremely strong on the boards of late, leading all teams in rebound percentage across their last 10 games.
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau appears to be getting his men to finally buy-in on the defensive end of the floor as well, where the Knicks have allowed only 104.1 points per 100 possessions, second-best in the league, during their recent hot-stretch. Similar to Philadelphia, New York has stifled their opponent on the perimeter, holding their opponents to 29.8 percent from beyond-the-arc since December 4th. Thibodeau has also done a superb job getting his guys to defend without fouling, holding their opponents to the fifth-fewest free-throw attempts per game in that span. One of their keys to success has been limiting ball movement, which has made it difficult to generate open shot attempts on a consistent basis.
76ers vs. Knicks – Picks & Predictions
During the month of December, neither the 76ers nor the Knicks are averaging 100 possessions per game. As a result, bettors could be in-store for a reasonably slow-paced affair at Madison Square Garden on Christmas. Considering that this is also a noon tip-off and that both of these teams have done an excellent job limiting three-pointers and effective ball movement of late, it makes sense to target the under in this spot. If bettors need further convincing, per Action Network, NBA games that have a tip-off time between noon ET and 4:00 p.m. ET since 2005 have a 65.6% hit-rate to the under. Expect points to be at a premium in this matchup.
PICK: Under 218.5 (-115, MGM)
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