Posted at 1:15 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle U205 -107 BET365 U205½ -110 Sportsinteraction U205½ -115 888Sport U204½ -110

Philadelphia/New York under 205

Best Odds: -107 at Pinnacle

7:40 PM EST. The first showdown between the 76ers and Knicks was a topsy-turvy battle, a see-saw between two evenly matched teams. Game two is bound to produce a similar display, but like we've seen so many times in NBA playoffs of the past, game two also brings a greater intensity because no program wants to go down 0-2. What do we think that means for tonight's battle? More defense.

The Knicks did a good job against Joel Embiid in game one, limiting the reigning MVP to just 8-22 (36%) from the field. Like we said in our article on Saturday, New York's front-court is built to take on a star center. Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson are a formidable and physical big-man duo, a pairing that produced 19 rebounds and 6 blocks together on Saturday. Embiid will likely shoot more efficiently tonight, but we're not sure we can say the same for his supporting cast.

Tyrese Maxey is obviously a great player, named to his first All-Star game this season, but the Knicks' defense usually doesn't allow as much success as he had in game one. Maxey went 14-26 (54%), dropping 33 points on top of Embiid's 29, which amounted to exactly 50% of the Sixers' total score. Other guys like Tobias Harris, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nicholas Batum and Paul Reed were just okay, going 14-30 from the field collectively, but they all struggled against a stingy New York resistance. Philly will need at least three of their guys to have a bigger game to rival the Knicks' raucous fanbase.

The reality is, Philly did a great job defensively against the Knicks, too. New York shot just 39.6% from the field in game one, a far cry from their average (46.5%). They were extremely effective in surrounding and suffocating Jalen Brunson every time he tried to drive to the rim, holding the star guard to a poor 8-26 (31%) from the field, and he really didn't have much help throughout the contest. A rare performance from Miles McBride, who came off the bench to drop 21 points on 7-12 shooting, was New York's saving grace in early moments. Later in the game, it was their three-point shooting. The Knicks managed to hit nearly 46% of their long-balls (16-35), a factor that helped them create separation from Philly late in the second half. But that's bound to regress, too. The Knicks averaged 37% from three-point-land this season, a good mark, but nowhere near their efficiency on Saturday. The 76ers are also typically very good defending shots beyond the arc, holding opponents to only 35.5% this season (9th overall).

New York out-muscled the 76ers in game one, evidenced by their 55-33 advantage in rebounds, but they were also way better in their perimeter shooting. Philadelphia is the more desperate team, now trying to avoid a dangerous 0-2 start to their first round series, and we expect their defense to answer the call. Joel Embiid, despite mostly ineffective shooting from the field, still finished with a +14 point differential in game one, which speaks to how dominant he was at defending the rim, but he needs help. While the Knicks are battle-tested and at home and should still limit their enemy's output, we expect Philly's defense to clamp down even harder in tonight's clash. It's not uncommon to see game twos fall way below their total: last year, the Knicks' first round game two went to just 197 points against Cleveland, while the 76ers' totaled only 182 points versus Brooklyn. We expect tonight's match to fall somewhere in-between; we have it at 191. Go under or go home; we'll go under.

Farley

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