The Philadelphia 76ers stare elimination in the face Tuesday as 3.5 point underdogs to the New York Knicks in Game 5. The Knicks have home court advantage and momentum on their side, and I’m picking their moneyline on BetMGM (+165).

76ers vs Knicks odds

76ers vs Knicks analysis

The best players on these teams have been outstanding all series. Jalen Brunson is averaging 33 points per game and just dropped 47 in Game 4. While his efficiency could certainly be better, he’s contributed in other ways too by averaging nine assists.

Josh Hart has stepped up to the plate filling in for Julius Randle by scoring 20 or more points in the first three games and averaging 12.8 rebounds this series. I expect a bounce back shooting game from him (0-3 from distance in Game 4 after going 12-25 prior).

Four games is a large enough sample size for me to predict excellence from both players in Game 5. The main concern I have with the Knicks is their lack of depth. Bojan Bogdanovic is out, and Mitchell Robinson is questionable as of the time of publish.

Joel Embiid has been outstanding at getting to the free throw line and has feasted on the boards. But similarly to Brunson, his shooting numbers are poor. While he was 5-7 from deep in Game 3, he’s just 5-23 in their other three games.

I’d like to see Tyrese Maxey drive the ball more, as he’s made all his free throws this series but hasn’t had a lot of attempts. The 76ers need the version of him that dropped 33 and 35 on the road rather than the version of him who scored 25 and 23 at home.

It sounds unreasonable to ask Maxey to do even more than he has, but that’s in part due to his teammates not contributing consistently. Tobias Harris and Buddy Hield have been non-factors this series, and I don’t see the 76ers winning if that trend continues.

76ers vs Knicks predictions

There have been times this series I’ve felt this series could go to seven games. But whenever I start to think that, Philadelphia goes on a cold streak and New York just finds ways to get it done and escape with a win.

I see this being another close game, as this entire series has been, but I’m not comfortable in either team covering. The sooner this series ends for the Knicks, the better as Brunson will need as much rest as possible before the next series.

As long as the Knicks continue being dominant on the boards (Especially on the offensive end), they’ll be well positioned to win this game. Their role players have been much more productive than the 76ers’ this series, and that plays a role in my pick as well.

76ers vs Knicks pick

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