The Philadelphia 76ers escaped Madison Square Garden with a win in Game 5 Tuesday to keep their season afloat. They host Game 6 against the New York Knicks Thursday as the favorites by three or 3.5 points pending on the sportsbook. I’m backing their moneyline on DraftKings (-155) to force a Game 7.

Knicks vs 76ers odds

Knicks vs 76ers analysis

Rebounding was the area I focused on most entering Game 5, as the Knicks had feasted on the boards all series. But the 76ers won the rebounding battle and only allowed six offensive rebounds. New York losing Bojan Bogdanovic was another area I focused on.

Tom Thibodeau notoriously likes a tight rotation, and losing Bogdanovic left them with just two bench players who played minutes. This forced Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo to have more shooting responsibility, but they combined for 2-13 from deep Tuesday.

Jalen Brunson has played like the top three point guard we know he is all series from a scoring perspective (34.4 points per game), but his three point shooting has been bad due to the gigantuan volume of shots he’s putting up as their only star player.

As for the 76ers, winning the rebounding battle and eliminating second chance shots will be the key for them. I think their defense has been very good all series, especially when it comes to how they suffocate Brunson and force him into a lot of bad shots.

Offensively, they’d waited all series for Tobias Harris to contribute and that finally paid off with 19 huge points. Even though Joel Embiid had a quiet scoring game of 19 points, he still added 16 rebounds and ten assists. He had nine turnovers however.

The story of Game 5 was Tyrese Maxey having the game of his life. 46 points and nine assists are just the numbers, but watching the game did so much more justice to how well he played. You can back Maxey and Embiid playing well Thursday like they have all series.

Knicks vs 76ers predictions

When I bet the 76ers moneyline, I have to have faith a supporting cast player like Harris or Kelly Oubre Jr. will step up and assist their superstar duo. I think one of them will, and Embiid will likely have a bounce back scoring game as Maxey’s scoring inevitably dips slightly.

More than anything, I’m concerned the Knicks will run out of gas. I mentioned their tight rotation and overreliance on Brunson already, and having to play in overtime Tuesday didn’t help. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first game this series that’s one sided.

If one of Embiid or Maxey has an unexpected off night, someone else can fill the void. If Brunson comes back to Earth, nobody is capable of doing anything close to him.

Knicks vs 76ers pick

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