NBA Playoffs 2023/24, 1st round, Game 2, Tuesday, 23.04.2024
Game 2 of the highly anticipated first round series between New York and Philadelphia takes place on Tuesday night.
Will the hosts from the Empire State be able to defend their home court advantage? And how fit is 76ers superstar Joel Embiid? One thing is for sure, excitement is guaranteed at the legendary Madison Square Garden!
My Knicks 76ers betting tip, for which the current Interwetten new customer bonus applies, tells you why you can expect at least 53 points in the opening quarter
For the first time since 2013, the Knickerbockers were able to notch up 50 wins in a season and are consequently one of the big positive surprises of the current NBA season.
With the seventh-best offense (rating of 117.3) and the ninth-best defense (112.4), the New Yorkers were one of only four teams to finish in the top 10 at both ends of the field in the regular season.
The team under the aegis of defensive guru Tom Thibodeau has won all of its last six games.
Including the playoff opener against Philadelphia on Sunday night, which they won 111-104.
The hosts impressed with an impressive team performance, to which five players contributed with double-digit points.
Although they only hit 39.6% of their shots from the field, they made an impressive 45.7% (16/35) of their three-point attempts.
It is also striking that NYK grabbed no less than 22 more rebounds than the 76ers, with the 23:9 offensive rebounds translating into +10 shot attempts.
The 42:7 bench points per New York also speak for themselves
As a result, the East runners-up were also able to cope with the weak performance of their superstar Jalen Brunson, who hit just 8/26 of his shot attempts (22 points) and really wanted to force his own baskets.
The Sixers, on the other hand, kept up surprisingly well for a long time, considering that superstar Joel Embiid only played the second half on the back burner.
The native of Cameroon (34.7 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the regular season) dominated the generic zone at will in the first quarter before an unfortunate landing after a spectacular self-alley-oop forced him off the floor for a time.
Embiid had landed on his left knee where he tore his meniscus in late January, forcing the reigning MVP into a two-month convalescence and the 76ers into the back of the playoff pack.
The health and fitness of the best player in the series is likely to be the decisive factor for the rest of the match-up.
Even with Embiid out with an ailment in the second half, the 76ers managed a total of +14, while the team from Pennsylvania had a miserable +/ rating of -21 in the eleven minutes without the center.
Against this backdrop, the spirited performance of co-star Tyrese Maxey, who scored 33 points on 14/26 attempts, gives hope.
The point guard matchup between All-Stars Maxey and Brunson is likely to be one of the key duels for the course of the series between the two East Coast teams anyway.
The fact that the Knicks were able to triumph in Game 1 despite a weak performance from Brunson and a convincing showing from Maxey should be somewhat concerning for most 76ers fans.
In Game 2, I expect Brunson to bounce back and pick up where he left off in the regular season.
In the latter, the lively guard averaged 28.7 points at strong odds of 47.9 % from the field and 40.1 % from the three-point line.
However, since the top sports betting providers are also anticipating a gala performance from Brunson, I recommend betting on over 52.5 points in the first quarter
After all, New York averaged 27.5 points in the first quarter in the regular season and Philadelphia 28.5 (total 56).
And in Game 1, 59 points were scored in the first period.
The fact that the defensive lines often only adjust more precisely as the game progresses and that both teams will want to dictate the course of the game early on with a good shooting percentage also speaks in favor of many points in quarter 1.
my Knicks 76ers tip for Game 2: Over 52.5 points in the 1st quarter!
