Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Prediction, Betting Pick, Latest NBA Playoffs Second Round Odds
The Philadelphia 76ers head back to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday in serious trouble, down 0-1 in the series and now ruled out their best player for Game 2. Joel Embiid is officially out with a right ankle sprain and right hip soreness, and the line has rocketed up from -7 to -10.5 in the hours since the news dropped. Let's check out the odds and best bet for this Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks prediction on May 6, 2026.
OC Staff - May 6, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT
3 Minute ReadPhiladelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Prediction: Odds, Best Bet, and Best Prop for Game 2
Jalen Brunson dropped 35 in Game 1 with most of that damage coming before halftime, and the Knicks shot a frankly cartoonish 63% from the field on their way to a 137-98 win. Philly turned it over 19 times, lost the rebounding battle on top of that, and rested every starter by the third quarter once the game got out of hand. Embiid was already limited in Game 1 with 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting, and now Andre Drummond and Adem Bona will split the center minutes for Philly. The good news is that no Sixers starter logged more than 28 minutes Monday, so the legs should be fresh for whoever has to step up.
Philly comes in as a 10.5-point underdog with the moneyline sitting around +330 and the total parked at 215.5. The line opened at -7.5 before climbing to -10.5 once Embiid was officially ruled out around 1 p.m. ET. Both Game 1 splits were extreme outliers in opposite directions, and the Embiid news only widens the talent gap that already favored New York heavily. The cleaner betting angle for Game 2 lives in the total and the Towns prop market, where the new center matchup creates obvious value the books are slow to fully reprice.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Recent Results
Coach Nick Nurse pulled off the franchise's first ever 3-1 series comeback in the opening round against Boston, with Maxey finally looking like himself in the closeout Game 7 win at TD Garden. The Sixers finished 45-37 and locked up the 7-seed, with Maxey leading them in scoring on the year. Embiid played through an ankle sprain and is still working back from an offseason appendectomy. Paul George chipped in as a steady third option in the playoffs and was honestly one of the only Sixers who showed up in Game 1.
The Knicks closed out Atlanta in six and have been operating in a different gear since Game 4 of that series. Brunson is now averaging 29.6 PPG in the playoffs across the run. Karl-Anthony Towns has been an absolute matchup nightmare since the trade and put up a 20-and-12 line with 50% shooting in the regular season. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby form one of the better defensive wing duos in the playoffs, with Anunoby going 7-of-8 from the floor in Game 1.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Head To Head
These two have a long playoff history with the Sixers holding a 6-4 edge in 10 prior series, including their last meeting in 2024 when New York won in six. The regular season series this year split 2-2, with each team taking care of business at home in all four meetings. The combined scoring across those four meetings averaged 230 points per game. That number sits well above where the current Game 2 total is set, but the Embiid news flips the math because Philly's offense without him drops a full tier.
Brunson has been the constant in this matchup over the last two postseasons. His last five playoff games against this Sixers core all cleared 35 points, and Philly has not had a credible answer for him in any of them. With Embiid out, the Knicks pick-and-roll becomes even easier because Drummond can't switch onto a guard the way Embiid at least pretended to. Game 1 saw the Knicks score on 10 of 15 ball-screens where Brunson hunted Embiid as the screener's defender, and that number only goes up against the Sixers' backup bigs.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN, NBA League Pass
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Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Odds
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Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Team News
The Embiid news drops a bomb on Philly's already shaky odds. He woke up with increased ankle pain and added hip soreness, missed the morning shootaround, and was officially ruled out at 1 p.m. ET after being initially listed as probable. Andre Drummond will likely get the bulk of the center minutes with Adem Bona and possibly Dominick Barlow filling in behind him. Maxey was a complete non-factor in Game 1 and only attempted three triples, which is the opposite of the aggressive shot diet Philly needs from him to win this series.
The Knicks have no real injury concerns, with Jeremy Sochan listed as questionable with a hamstring issue but unlikely to factor into the rotation. Towns dealt with foul trouble in Game 1 and only logged 20 minutes, but with Embiid out he won't have to chase a 7-footer around all night. Mike Brown will likely lean on the Towns and Mitchell Robinson double-big lineup that played nearly twice as many minutes against Philly in the regular season as it did against Atlanta. Brunson hunting whoever Philly throws on him remains the central tactical question of the entire series.
Prediction: Knicks 116, 76ers 108
The market has Philly as a 10.5-point underdog with the total at 215.5, and that spread sits in territory that historically gets bettors burned regardless of which side they pick. The Embiid news flips the total math from a clean Over lean to an Under lean because Philly's offense without him cratered to bottom-five territory in their regular season splits. The Knicks will likely build another double-digit lead and rest starters in the fourth quarter again, which depresses the back-end scoring even when the first three quarters are open. Playoff pace and bench minutes both push this one slightly south of 215.5.
The Sixers being more rested gets them closer than Game 1, but losing Embiid wipes out most of that benefit. Brunson going off again is the most predictable storyline of this entire postseason, and Towns walking into a feast matchup against Drummond is the second most predictable. Game 2 ends up as another comfortable Knicks win with starters out by the middle of the fourth, just not the 39-point laugher we saw on Monday.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks Best Bet
- Under 215.5 (-110) Click here to get the best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
- Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 Points (-124) Click here to get the best odds at Caesars Sportsbook
Our FairPlay AI likes Under 215.5 for Game 2. Philly's offense without Embiid was a bottom-five unit during the regular season and now has to face a top-five Knicks defense that just held them to 41% shooting with Embiid playing. The Knicks will likely build another double-digit lead and pull starters in the fourth quarter, which kills the late scoring inflation that pushed Game 1 over 215.5.
It also points to value on Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 Points. Brunson has cleared 35 points in five straight playoff games against this Sixers team. He dropped 27 in the first half alone of Game 1 before getting pulled in the third quarter of a blowout. Embiid being ruled out makes hunting switches even easier because Drummond can't switch onto guards and Bona is a foul magnet who barely played all year.
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