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The Philadelphia 76ers remain holed up in the Big Apple for Monday’s Game 2 of their series against the New York Knicks. Philadelphia had a fast start in Game 1 but eventually couldn’t hold off New York’s late-game surge in Madison Square Garden. After a hard-fought 111-104 loss, the Sixers will be looking to even the series in the rematch.
Joel Embiid’s availability will be the big question leading into the game. After seemingly re-injuring his surgically repaired knee, “The Process” returned to nearly lead his team to the win. 76ers coach Nick Nurse said the training staff will monitor his routine and then decide from there.
If Embiid is available, the Philadelphia 76ers have a big chance of squaring the series, if not, the New York Knicks could make it 2-0.
The moneyline for the 76ers is +165, which is understandable as they are the road team, while the hosts have a -200 line. Philly gets a +5.0 spread which is inversely what the Knicks will have (-5.0). The said odds aren’t the only way to bet on the game, though, as there are player props that are quite worth the look.
Top 10 Player Props for Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks, Game 2
No. 10 - Tyrese Maxey to score Over 25.5 (-102)
The Philadelphia 76ers’ cat-quick point guard caused the New York Knicks trouble all game long, finishing with a team-high 33 points. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will try to tweak his coverage but if Joel Embiid is around, Maxey will likely still top his points prop. “The Process” occupies so much of the Knicks' defense that he should get his fair share of open looks.
No. 9 - Josh Hart to score Over 12.5 (-120)
Josh Hart has been extremely opportunistic for the New York Knicks this season and he will likely have many chances to score over 12 points. He made the Philadelphia 76ers pay for leaving him open on too many occasions. Philadelphia will again try to force the ball out of Jalen Brunson’s hands, allowing Hart a good chance of getting past his points props.
No. 8 - Donte DiVincenzo to score Over 15.5 (-115)
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has been urging Donte DiVincenzo to let it fly when he is open. He did it in Game 1 but his shots didn’t just fall. The former Villanova star will have his opportunities to get past his points prop on Monday due to Philadelphia’s coverage of Brunson. DiVincenzo averaged 20.6 PPG on a 42.5% clip from deep in the regular season this month. He can’t have too many off-nights hitting it from behind the arc.
No. 7 - Kelly Oubre Jr. to go Over 1.5 steals (-127)
Kelly Oubre Jr.’s main task in the series is to hound Jalen Brunson from one end of the court to another. The New York Knicks will get him off the lefty guard by setting screens. Once that happens, Oubre’s task will turn to mucking up the paint with his length. In Game 1, he tallied five steals by doing exactly what Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse asked him to do.
Oubre’s job description will not deviate much from what he did, giving him plenty of opportunity to get more than one steal in Game 2.
No. 6 - Mitchell Robinson to go Over 12.5 for Pts+Reb (-122)
Mitchell Robinson is the New York Knicks’ Joel Embiid stopper. When “The Process” is on the court, he is likely in there tangling with the reigning MVP. Robinson is one of the NBA’s most voracious rebounders and will play that way if he is healthy. He had eight points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, a trend that he can sustain.
No. 5 - Isaiah Hartenstein to go Under 14.5 for Pts-Reb (-108)
Isaiah Hartenstein’s world will revolve around Embiid in the series. Because the Philadelphia 76ers superstar is such a handful, Hartenstein could be limited in his impact scoring the ball like what happened in Game 1. He will get his rebounds as he has the nose for it but he isn’t likely topping 14.5.
No. 4 - OG Anunoby to go Over 1.5 steals (-120)
Besides tangling with Joel Embiid at the high post, Tom Thibodeau has also asked O.G. Anunoby to chase Tyrese Maxey. The former Raptor will have to go through a gauntlet of screens and pick-and-rolls when he is shadowing the Philadelphia 76ers’ guard. When he has that assignment, he will try to cut off not just Maxey’s runway to the rim but also his passing lanes.
Either as the primary defender on Maxey or providing help defense, he will get his chances to tally more than one steal.
No. 3 - Jalen Brunson to go Under 30.5 points (-115)
Nick Nurse just wants the ball out of Jalen Brunson’s hands in every New York Knicks possession. He will send double teams or give him different looks on defense to take away his rhythm. The Philadelphia 76ers will risk somebody beating them instead of Brunson. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Nic Batum have made it tough for “JB” to get easy looks, helping limit him to 8-for-26 shooting for 22 points.
Brunson will likely be a little more efficient but going over 30 points might be too much.
No. 2 - Bojan Bogdanovic to go Over 10.5 points (-105)
Bojan Bogdanovic is too good of a shooter not to go over 10 points in Game 2. He had 13 in the series opener for the New York Knicks when he missed a few wide-open opportunities. The Philadelphia 76ers' coverage of Brunson will give Bogdanovic clean looks to get past his points prop.
No. 1 - Joel Embiid to go Over 39.5 for Pts+Reb (-111)
Joel Embiid is a nightmare to defend because he is so good at drawing fouls. Even if he has a rough-shooting night, his output rarely goes down due to numerous trips to the free-throw line. For the Philadelphia 76ers to win, he has to score at least 25-30 points, figures that should be well within his range.
Embiid had eight rebounds in Game 1 partly because of the way the 76ers started playing defense in Game 1. They used the big man to bottle up Jalen Brunson in the pick-and-roll, forcing him away from the basket. But, Nurse changed it starting the second half probably because of Embiid’s ailing knee.
If Nurse sticks to the defensive plan against the New York Knicks, Embiid’s rebounds will increase, making it likely he’ll get over 39 for points and rebounds.
Editor's Note: The player props could change closer to the game. The numbers listed were as per available information at the time of the writing.
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