Posted at 2:15 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -4½ -111 BET365 -4½ -115 Sportsinteraction -3½ -115 888Sport -4½ -110

Philadelphia 1H -4½ over New York

Best Odds: -110 at 888Sport

7:40 PM EST. We're not big Kool-Aid drinkers here at SportsWagers but sometimes swallowing what the world wants you to doesn't always mean it's the wrong thing to do. Everyone and their brother knows that when a team is down 0-2 and back at home in a playoff series, that's a dangerous spot for their opponent. Many of the current series are facing that situation, and bettors will predictably march to the window and put down wagers on the 0-2 outfits, if nothing else because their motivation and "sense of desperation" are no-doubt at an all-time high. This psychology of these wagers not only makes sense, but in many cases it comes to fruition. In some cases, it doesn't. In today's game between the Knicks and 76ers, the home team isn't just desperate and motivated, they're pissed.

League officials admitted that they missed two foul-calls on Tyrese Maxey at the end of game two, gaffes that could've changed the fortune of the 76ers. Philly had a 101-96 lead with just 47 seconds left, a scenario which (obviously) typically favors the squad with the five-point lead. But New York found a way. Jalen Brunson nailed a three and then Josh Hart forced a steal and then another former Villanova star Donte DiVincenzo followed up with another three. One Maxey-missed shot later and that's all she wrote; in the blink of an eye the 76ers went down 0-2.

Joel Embiid was visibly upset in the locker room after the loss, understandably emotional and negative after what transpired. In his next interaction with the media, he showed his leadership and vowed the 76ers would still win the series; a bold statement from the reigning MVP, who missed over two months of action before the playoffs.

One proclamation from the big-man isn't enough to grind our gears, but there's plenty of evidence that Philly has been the better team anyway, despite losing two straight. For starters, they've shut down New York's best scorer, holding Jalen Brunson to just 16-55 (29%) and 46 total points in two contests. They've been doing that all season, too. In 6 games versus Philly, Brunson only averaged 22.5 ppg. Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey has been unstoppable, scoring 68 points in two games, and at home he averages a higher per game point total with Joel Embiid in the lineup, a giant distraction for opposing defenses. We don't see Maxey slowing down tonight. The 76ers have also shot better than New York in both affairs so far, and it was only the Knicks' melee of three-pointers that enabled them to create margin in game one. We know the story of game two.

Even on the road in one of the most hostile arenas, the 76ers could easily be 2-0 in their series. Back at home, behind a crowd that should be as loud as we've heard all season, markets are expecting the Sixers to get off to a fast start. Although the full-game spread is -5, the home team is up to -4 or even -4½ at most books in the first half. Oddsmakers expect the Sixers to blitz the Knicks in front of their fans, as do we, and while the spread might seem inflated it also speaks to a very likely scenario that the visitors will find extremely difficult to prevent. If New York can survive and keep the game within a reasonable distance, they might have a shot to cover or even will the game, but there's only one way we can look in the first two quarters. 

Farley

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