Philadelphia at New York

Philadelphia was ninth in the NBA defensively during the regular season in points given up and 11th in shooting allowed. They will have to lean on that defense, down 3-to-1 in the series and playing on the road. This team is barely a .500 team on the road this season and they are sub-.500 in division games, getting outscored by two points per game in these matchups. This is clearly a big mis-match and I believe the Knicks close this one out tonight. Nick Nurse seems to have trouble motivating his team after an embarrassing defeat as the 76ers are just 3-11 straight-up this season following an upset loss. New York was second defensively in points given up. They’ve held the 76ers to 105.5 points per game in four playoff contests, nine points fewer than Philadelphia averaged during the season. Meanwhile, New York is 16-6 this season after scoring 105 or fewer points and 20-5 the past two seasons after a game in which they scored 100 or fewer points. In his time in New York, Tom Thibodeau is 29-13 in April games and 42-29 after scoring 100 or fewer points. The 76ers are 53-35 UNDER the total as an underdog.The Knicks are 17-7 UNDER the total after scoring 100 or fewer points and 27-16 UNDER after playing a game that went UNDER. With so much at stake, look for another intense defensive duel. Back the Knicks for the win here and take the UNDER.