Put it on the bulletin board: Oddsmakers across the sports betting world priced the Knicks as underdogs for their upcoming 2 vs. 7 first-round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The second-seeded Knicks are +106 to beat the 76ers, while seventh-seeded Philadelphia owns -130 odds on FanDuel.
This comes despite a host of boos from the City of Brotherly Love during the play-in tournament Wednesday until bench player Nicholas Batum caught fire to fuel a rally to down the Heat.
Without that unlikely outburst, as Batum tallied 20 points in the 105-104 win, the Knicks would be installed as substantial favorites against the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat.
Knicks vs. 76ers series odds
| Knicks odds | 76ers odds |
|---|---|
| +106 | -130 |
It’s an interesting spot for Tom Thibodeau’s group, considering the Knicks’ physical style mixed with Joel Embiid’s poor physical shape.
Judging simply by the eye test, Embiid was hanging around the 3-point line for much of Wednesday’s game.
The stats back this up.
In a small sample size since his return from a January injury, Embiid is averaging 5.4 3-point attempts per game, up dramatically from the 3.6 attempts in January and 2.9 in December.
Embiid played in just one of the four regular-season matchups between the teams, a 128-92 bludgeoning by the Knicks.
The Knicks won three of those four contests overall.
Embiid had 30 points and 10 rebounds in that game but turned it over six times and shot just 10-of-23 from the field. He shot 12 free throws in that game.
The Knicks had Julius Randle for that game, who shot just 1-of-11, along with OG Anunoby.
Randle will not be active for this series but in comes Mitchell Robinson, who did not play in that January contest and is another body to throw at Embiid.
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For now, we’ll take the gift of even odds on New York and run with it.
PICK: Knicks advance (+106, FanDuel) | Knicks in 5 (+600, DraftKings)