Knicks vs. 76ers Game 1 Preview: How, Who to Watch

The New York Knicks begin one of their most hopeful postseason treks in quite some time when the Philadelphia 76ers come to visit on Saturday night.

Mar 10, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) drives to the / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Live from New York ... it's playoff basketball.

The New York Knicks will embark on what's perhaps their most legitimate championship quests in quite sometime when they open a best-of-seven, opening round set with the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. It'll be the 10th series between New York and Philadelphia, the latter holding a 6-3 advantage over the first nine.

New York is blessed with its finest playoff positioning since 2013, having won each of its final five games en route to the second seed. They'll look to dispose of a Philadelphia group that's firing on all cylinders to the tune of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid's healthy return to the lineup: the 76ers have won each of their past nine games, including Wednesday's Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament opener over the Miami Heat, to create the NBA's longest winning streak entering the postseason.

Philadelphia is 31-8 when Embiid plays this season but one of those losses was a 36-point shellacking at the hands of the Knicks at Wells Fargo Center back on Jan. 5. New York won three of the four meetings overall this season, clinching a win in the series for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign. The winner of the Knicks and 76ers' postseason get-together will face either Milwaukee or Indiana in round two.

What: Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) @ New York Knicks (50-32), Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 1 (Series tied 0-0)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN

Who's Favored: NYK -1.5

Mar 10, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Keep An Eye On: Bojan Bogdanovic

The Knicks have had several depth stars rise to the occasion: some (i.e. Precious Achiuwa, Miles McBride) have kept game-to-game, minute-to-minute intensity alive in the second unit while others (i.e. Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein) have become starting five mainstays. It has taken Bogdanovic a while to live up to the promise of a deeper bench (potentially replacing the scoring Immanuel Quickley took to Toronto) but he began to come up big over the final stanzas, averaging 10.8 points on over 46 percent from the field (including over 47 percent from three-point range) during the final winning streak. It feels like a slight stretch to call Bogdanovic the ultimate x-factor in a series headlined by Embiid and Jalen Brunson, but he'll certainly stand as one of the potential diamonds in the rough.

76er to Watch: Nicolas Batum

Batum came up big during the final stages of the 76ers' Play-In victory, notably getting a hand on Tyler Herro's would-be equalizer in the final minute of regulation to set up Tyrese Maxey's game-sealing free throws. Philadelphia's lone victory in this season's four-game set was staged at Madison Square Garden in March, a 79-73 slugfest that saw the 76ers neutralize the Knicks' seemingly endless shooting avenues. With the Knicks proving themselves capable of shooting their way out of Philadelphia-induced problems, Batum's defense will be heavily relied upon, especially considering the wave of red and blue momentum he's riding entering Saturday's opener.

They Said It

I’ve been around a lot of great players, whether it be Patrick (Ewing) or David Robinson or Dikembe (Mutombo) and (Kevin) Garnett, (Paul) Pierce, Ray Allen, and Derrick (Rose). I’m sure I’m leaving a lot of guys off. But I think when you get to that level, it’s a very unique and special level. You’re talking the top of the top.”-Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau on where Jalen Brunson compares to the other all-time greats he has coached (h/t Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News)

Prediction

The Knicks have had to spent the last two days hearing about how they're oh-so-due for an upset, to the point where some claimed they were downright silly to win their final five games in an effort to secure the second seed. Needless to say, they'll be hungry to make a statement. Getting past the second-round hump remains the obvious goal and the journey will refuse to let up. But the Knicks have proven themselves more than capable of achieving their obtainable goals this season. Taking a 1-0 series lead as the No. 2 seed should fall in that realm.

Knicks 107, 76ers 100

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