The Sixers have Joel Embiid back | 76ers vs Knicks | OSB

NBA Playoffs: (7)Philadelphia 76ers at (2)New York Knicks 

Tommy D here with OSB sports!

It’s Saturday, April 20th and this is our free NBA prediction for Game 1 of the Sixers vs. Knicks series. 

The game is in New York and tips-off at 6:00 PM Eastern.  

But before we get to the predictions, please go ahead and subscribe to our channel, OSB Sports, hit the bell button, and you will be notified every time we come out with a new pick. 

My private plays I normally reserve for our VIP clients, which means the first 50 people to text “OSB” to the 305 number (305-523-9783) will receive two private plays on this game at no charge. 

So let’s break this one down…

This is a tough matchup, and I could see it going either way in the end, but for Game 1 I like the Knicks. 

The Sixers have Joel Embiid back, and they are 31-8 with him on the floor, which is significant, but against Miami in the play-in the Sixers looked disjointed, and Embiid clearly isn’t back to full strength. 

The Knicks on the other hand are on a roll. They ended the season with a 5-game win streak to capture the 2-seed, their best finish in over a decade. They’re a hard-nosed team with a great defense, and New York will force Philly to work for every point.  

Their x-factor is Jalen Brunson, who is on another level after averaging 37.8 points and 8.3 assists in his last 10 games.

So for our Sixers vs. Knicks expert pick, take the New York Knicks to Cover (-3) in Game 1 on Saturday.