The 76ers have been struggling over the past 11 games, but they have yet to lose at home. They face a lowly Knicks team on Wednesday that has been dreadful on the road. Despite the big spread, bettors should support the home Sixers.
- New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: November 20, 7 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: MSG, NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Sportsbook Odds: Philadelphia -13.5 | O/U 213 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Sixers are undefeated at home this season, have owned the Knicks at home recently and the Knicks are terrible on the road. Add it all up and it equals Philadelphia Sportsbook as a huge 13.5-point favorite. The total opened at a low 213 points, as the Knicks are the league’s lowest-scoring team, while Philadelphia has a middle-tier offense and can also clamp down defensively.
New York News & Notes
The Knicks may have won two of their past three games, but all it’s done is elevate New York from being the worst team in the NBA.
The Knicks currently have the third-worst record in the league at 4-10, with the main culprit being an offense that’s averaging just 101.8 points per game, last in the NBA.
The offense finally showed up on Monday, as New York scored a season-high 123 points in its win against Cleveland. The Knicks were led by Julius Randle’s 30 points, his highest output of the year.
New York’s biggest free-agent acquisition this offseason, Randle has had an inconsistent and disappointing start to his Knicks career. He’s averaging 16.5 points per game, five fewer than last season, and shooting just 44.7 percent from the floor, his lowest percentage in four seasons.
If he can start scoring with more consistency, it would go a long way to stabilizing the Knicks and making them at least a competitive team each and every night.
Philadelphia News & Notes
The 76ers started the season 5-0 but have stumbled since, winning just three of their last eight games. They snapped a two-game skid on Monday with a 114-95 drubbing of Cleveland.
Tobias Harris paced the team with 27 points in the win, his second straight game with 20-plus points. He’s second on the team with 17.6 points per game, but he’s been inconsistent, as prior to his two most recent games he had two nights finishing in single digits.
One of the preseason favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia has been rather pedestrian in most categories this season. But what’s really hampered the Sixers has been turnovers — they commit nearly 17 per game, among the NBA’s worst. They’ll need to clean up their sloppy play, as they have one of the most talented starting lineups in basketball, but they cannot afford to be their own worst enemy.
Betting Pick: Sixers -13.5
Philadelphia has been struggling, but the Sixers have owned the Knicks recently at home and they are just too talented to not easily defeat an inferior team.
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia’s last 12 games vs New York.
- Philadelphia is 6-0 ATS in its last 6 home games vs New York.
- New York is 2-15 SU in its last 17 games on the road.
