NBA Playoffs Series Preview: Knicks vs. 76ers Prediction

Knicks vs. 76ers Eastern Conference Series Preview

In the second round of the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers will fight for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. We’re only two years removed from an awesome playoff series between these two, and one can only hope that they’ll deliver another best-of-seven show for us. Keep reading to see how we think this version of Knicks-76ers will play out. And make sure you check out our NBA Playoffs Betting Guide, which will serve as the hub for all of our postseason betting content!

Knicks vs. 76ers Series Odds

(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sunday, May 3 at 4:00 pm ET)

Series Winner: Knicks -270, 76ers +220

Series Spread: Knicks -1.5 Games (-130), 76ers +1.5 Games (+105)

Series Total: Over 5.5 Games (-130), Under 5.5 Games (+105)

Knicks vs. 76ers Series Prediction

In the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs, New York earned a tight six-game win over Philadelphia in the opening round of the postseason. Two of those games were decided by a single possession, another went to overtime, and the two teams developed some bad blood for one another. That should make this one of the most exciting second-round matchups of the playoffs.

While a lot of the main characters here are the same, we have seen some roster changes. The Knicks no longer have Julius Randle or Donte DiVincenzo, who hit a massive shot in Game 2 of that series two years ago. Instead, New York now has Karl-Anthony Towns, who has some individual beef with Joel Embiid. That’ll add a new wrinkle to this drama. Also, Philadelphia now has Paul George and VJ Edgecombe, giving the 76ers more talent than they had the last time these two went to war — even with Tobias Harris out the door.

Unfortunately, season-long numbers won’t do much for us here. The Knicks do have impressive ones, as they finished the regular season fifth in adjusted net rating (+6.1), fourth in adjusted offensive rating (118.8), and seventh in adjusted defensive rating (112.7). However, with Embiid and George having missed so much time for Philadelphia, we gain nothing from looking at the Sixers’ advanced stats. Also, even utilizing postseason numbers gets a bit murky. New York won Game 6 against Atlanta by 51 points, skewing the data to the point it’s unusable. It’s also not fair to shrink the Philadelphia series to the final three games, which were all won by the 76ers. While those performances were more indicative of the team I believe we’ll see in this series, the first four games did happen. So, rather than getting bogged down in the numbers, let’s talk about the matchups and the playing styles.

The Knicks do enter this series with a slight advantage. They don’t carry nearly as much injury uncertainty, they have a little more continuity, and they have the most proven late-game closer in Jalen Brunson. All of that makes New York a scary opponent in a best-of-seven series. However, there’s no reason Philadelphia can’t win multiple games. And honestly, the Sixers can win this series if they find a way to stay healthy. That said, I like Philadelphia +2.5 on the game spread here, plus I also like a sprinkle on Sixers to win the series.

For as good as Brunson is, there’s a real chance Tyrese Maxey matches his offensive production. In a series in which Boston had Derrick White to throw on Maxey, the talented Philly guard averaged 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per game on 46.4/41.8/96.2 shooting splits. He’s an absolute superstar, and his ability to pressure the rim, shoot off the bounce, and instantly create space for himself will be very difficult for the Knicks to contain. In fact, New York might have to continue to play Deuce McBride in key moments, as he might be a better option than either Mikal Bridges or Josh Hart. However, that makes the Knicks a bit of a worse offensive team, even if McBride does shoot the three-ball well. Philadelphia will just have less trouble dealing with a player McBride’s size, as it lets the team off the hook for playing an undersized backcourt.

George has also looked the part of a borderline All-Defense wing option again. That’ll be huge as the 76ers look to slow down OG Anunoby, who absolutely torched the Hawks last series. George was completely ready for everything Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum threw at him last round, and Anunoby isn’t as dangerous off the bounce as either of those guys.

It’s also hard not to view this as a series that Embiid can dominate. There’s really no chance Towns has the physicality or foot speed required to stop Embiid in one-on-one situations. Perhaps Mitchell Robinson does, but that’s not a player the Knicks can count on for long stretches. The Sixers will be able to get him off the floor because of his poor free throw shooting.

Philadelphia also happens to have some role players that can step up in key moments. Perhaps there isn’t much consistency when it comes to both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes, but both guys have had moments throughout the playoffs. Oubre has actually been very solid defensively, and his wing defense will be big against New York. Meanwhile, Grimes is a decent defender that can knock down threes and attack closeouts. He could be dangerous against his former team.

Edgecombe is also a major X-factor. If he’s consistently knocking down threes, Philadelphia will actually look like the better team than New York. When he’s spacing the floor, the Sixers are a completely different team. Also, Edgecombe will be the one that gets the first crack at the Brunson assignment. The rookie is an advanced point-of-attack defender, and he’ll make Brunson work for everything here.

I just don’t think there’s a huge talent mismatch for New York. In fact, if anything, I believe Philadelphia has more high-end talent. That said, if the Sixers can just keep Embiid on the floor, the underdog is super live. And Embiid is probable for Game 1, so it looks like the knock he picked up towards the end of Game 7 wasn’t serious.

Series Best Bet: Sixers +2.5 Games (-180 – 1.5 units) & Sixers To Win Series (+220 – 0.5 units)

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