Posted at 12:00 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle O208 -106 BET365 O208½ -115 Sportsinteraction O208½ -110 888Sport O208½ -115

Philadelphia/New York over 208

Best Odds: -106 at Pinnacle

7:35 PM EST. Raise your hand if you watched the Sixers/Knicks game this past Sunday. Okay great, well, we feel very sorry for you. By the standards of pro-basketball in 2024, the Sixers and Knicks' third matchup was a grotesque display. Accumulating just 152 points, the lowest point total in six years, both teams just simply couldn't make a shot two days ago. While we give some credit to both defenses; it got particularly physical and stingy in the fourth quarter, it was more an odd night than anything else. Neither program could make a three-pointer (Philly was 9-30, New York was 9-40), easy points were held to a minimum (64 combined paint points, 11 combined fast-break points), and the game had 36 total turnovers. Eventually the contest really slowed down, which is somewhat predictable considering how bad the offense was, leading to just 80 attempts for each team.

Fortunately for our wagers tonight, a few important contributing factors should change the pace and production of Tuesday's showdown. Firstly, Tyrese Maxey has been cleared from concussion protocol and will play tonight. It's been 9 days since the dynamic point-guard has started for Philly, and he'll provide a major upgrade not only from his scoring (26 ppg), but in his facilitative skills (6.3 assists per game, leads team). We also get Jalen Brunson coming off a performance where he was a disgusting 6-22 from the field, one of his worst shooting nights all season. Credit should be given to Philly's defense for at least part of Brunson's poor outing - they made it incredibly difficult for him to drive to the rim and create buckets - but Brunson is too savvy and the Knicks are too talented to let that happen two times in a row. The last three times Brunson was kept to 21 points or less, he scored 34, 32, and 30 points in the following game.

We also like the spot, or "situation." The Knicks leave for a four-game West coast road trip after tonight's contest, where they'll play 4 games in 7 days, which we imagine is always something daunting and tiring just to ponder. The 76ers have another big road test on deck on Thursday at Milwaukee. Our point is, tonight's affair would be a great time to conserve some energy and peel back defensively, even between two rivals. Plus, it's not like that last showing is an example of who these teams are. They average a combined 228 points per game, a full 19 points above today's number. Tonight's fourth and final contest between Philly and New York should look much different than Sunday, and we're here to capitalize.

Farley

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