Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -7.5; over/under is 211.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Knicks host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers to begin the Eastern Conference second round. New York and Philadelphia tied the regular season series 2-2. The Knicks won the last regular season meeting 138-89 on Thursday, Feb. 12 led by 26 points from Jose Alvarado, while Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points for the 76ers.
The Knicks are 35-17 against conference opponents. New York is eighth in the Eastern Conference with 27.4 assists per game led by Jalen Brunson averaging 6.8.
The 76ers are 9-7 against Atlantic Division teams. Philadelphia is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 16.9 fast break points per game led by VJ Edgecombe averaging 8.0.
The Knicks’ 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.8 more made shots on average than the 13.4 per game the 76ers allow. The 76ers score 5.8 more points per game (115.9) than the Knicks allow their opponents to score (110.1).
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is shooting 50.1% and averaging 20.1 points for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 24.2 points over the last 10 games.
Maxey is averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals for the 76ers. Paul George is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 7-3, averaging 113.5 points, 42.8 rebounds, 25.2 assists, 9.1 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.8 points per game.
76ers: 6-4, averaging 105.9 points, 43.8 rebounds, 21.8 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.9 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: None listed.
76ers: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Read the full article here