The New York Knicks come into this one looking like a team that’s fully in rhythm. They’re 19-7, sitting 2nd in the East, riding a seven-game winning streak, and they’re fresh off an NBA Cup title run that clearly didn’t drain them the way people expected.
The Philadelphia 76ers are 14-11 and still hovering at 5th in the East middle pack, but the bigger story is how they’ve had to survive the constant stop-and-start. Tyrese Maxey has basically been forced into superhero mode, and he’s responded with 31.5 points and 7.2 assists per game on 46.7% from the field.
On the Knicks side, Jalen Brunson has been that same kind of engine, putting up 28.7 points and 6.4 assists on 48.4% from the field, and he’s been living in big-shot moments lately.
This matchup gets even sharper because the injury report tilts it. The 76ers are missing Joel Embiid, and that changes everything about how both teams play and what shots they can actually generate.
Injury Report
76ers
Joel Embiid: Out (illness, right knee injury management)
Kelly Oubre Jr.: Out (left knee sprain)
Hunter Sallis: Out (G League, two-way)
Trendon Watford: Out (left adductor strain)
Jared McCain: Available (right thumb surgery recovery, splint)
Knicks
Miles McBride: Out (left ankle sprain)
Landry Shamet: Out (right shoulder sprain)
Pacome Dadiet: Questionable (G League, on assignment)
Karl-Anthony Towns: Probable (left knee soreness)
Josh Hart: Probable (abdominal, rectus abdominis strain)
Why The Knicks Have The Advantage
The Knicks have the biggest advantage in the sport. They know exactly who they are.
Jalen Brunson controls tempo, controls possessions, and he’s been flat-out ruthless late in games. Even in spots where the Knicks don’t play their cleanest basketball, they still get to something they trust when the clock runs down.
The second edge is balance. The Knicks don’t need a 40-piece from Brunson to win. Mikal Bridges has given them steady two-way production at 16.6 points per game on 52.3% from the field, and OG Anunoby sits at 16.2 points with the kind of defense that lets the Knicks stay aggressive without falling apart.
Then there’s the Joel Embiid factor, because it cuts both ways. Embiid has averaged 20.5 points and 6.6 rebounds this season, but the bigger deal is what he represents structurally. When he sits, the 76ers can get hot, but they can also go ice-cold because the offense becomes more jump-shot dependent.
And if Karl-Anthony Towns plays, the Knicks can punish the 76ers inside in a way they may struggle to match. Towns has posted 22.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and even if his knee limits him a bit, his size still changes rebounding and second-chance possessions.
Finally, the Knicks have the “home” edge, and their role players feed off it. When the Knicks start stacking stops, the building turns into pressure. That’s where teams start rushing shots. That’s where Brunson hits one dagger, and the whole night flips.
Why The 76ers Have The Advantage
The 76ers’ advantage is simple. They have the best perimeter scorer in the game tonight, and he’s in full takeover form.
Maxey’s production is not “nice season” stuff. It’s nuclear. When Embiid sits, the entire offense becomes more guard-driven, more spread out, and more about speed. That’s not always pretty, but it can be annoying to defend because the attack comes earlier in the clock and from different spots.
That matters against the Knicks because their defense wants to choke the middle and force you into tough decisions. Maxey can ignore that. He can get downhill anyway. He can pull up anyway. And when he drags two defenders with him, the role players get cleaner looks than they usually see.
There’s also a scheduling edge here. The Knicks are coming off a high-emotion stretch, and they’ve played tight games recently. The 76ers have been more rested heading into this matchup, and in a game where Maxey has to carry creation, fresh legs actually matter.
If the 76ers keep their turnovers low and hit enough open threes, they can turn this into a real fight. Because if it becomes a straight guard duel, Maxey can absolutely match Brunson punch-for-punch.
Knicks vs. 76ers Prediction
I’m rolling with the Knicks.
Maxey will get his, because he’s been too good not to, but the Knicks have more ways to survive cold stretches and more ways to win the “ugly” minutes.
Without Embiid’s interior gravity, the 76ers basically need a high-efficiency Maxey night plus one or two role guys popping off, and that’s a tougher ask against a team that can defend and execute late.
Prediction: Knicks 116, 76ers 109
