New York Knicks fans are floating on cloud nine after one of the more dramatic playoff wins for the franchise in the past 25 years. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, there have only been a handful of playoff series wins since the team last reached the NBA Finals in 1999 and conference finals a year after that.
This season’s finish at the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference represented the franchise’s best playoff seeding since 1994, when they also had the No. 2 seed and advanced to the NBA Finals.
After overcoming a poor game by leading scorer Jalen Brunson in Game 1, the Knicks looked to be controlling Game 2 against Philadelphia as well on Monday night.
But a fourth-quarter rally by the 76ers gave them a five-point lead with 30 seconds remaining. Then, the Knicks went on a surge that was last seen at Madison Square Garden when Reggie Miller was the one scoring six points on them in a matter of seconds.
While there’s plenty of good feelings around New York today, the reality is that the Knicks are lucky to be up 2-0 in the series and are 4.5-point underdogs in Game 3. That game and Friday’s Game 4 will be at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
We’re going to take a closer look at the New York Knicks odds for the rest of the series and further into the playoffs.
Knicks Odds for Sixers Series: New York Favored to Win
With Monday’s win, history is firmly on the Knicks’ side. Going into the 2024 playoffs, there have been 331 seven-game playoff series that started with one team winning the first two games. Of that total, just 27 of them wound up with the other team winning the series. In fact, just about two-thirds of the time (200 of 331), the team that went up 2-0 won the series in a sweep or five games.
A sweep is unlikely here. One would expect the 76ers to win a game at home. But it’s unclear how they will respond after Monday’s loss that left them fuming more at the officials than the way they played in the last 30 seconds. Joel Embiid is also dealing with a knee injury.
But if you think the Knicks can get a game in Philly and close the series out in Game 5 at home, you can get plus odds at NY sportsbook DraftKings (+135) for that outcome.
How Will This Series vs. Philadelphia Play Out?
Looking at the correct score wagers, a Knicks’ series win in five would pay +220. Interestingly, the odds of New York winning in six games (+600) isn’t much longer than the 76ers coming back to win the next four games (+800).
Brunson’s struggles could be looked at two ways. One, he will have to perform better (averaging 23 points in the last two games but shooting less than 30%), but the Knicks also found ways to win with Brunson performing poorly. In last year’s playoffs, the Knicks advanced out of the first round despite Julius Randle’s struggles. It opens the door for other players to lead.
We would favor taking the Knicks at plus money to end the series in under 5.5 games and also to win in six games at +600. That gives you plenty of options for a nice win.
Knicks Futures Odds for the Rest of the Playoffs
Looking at the futures odds, the Knicks are only expected to go so far. At NY sportsbook FanDuel, Boston (+130) and Denver (+225) are overwhelming favorites to win the NBA championship.
The Knicks, at +1700, are among five teams with odds between +1500 and +1800. One of those would be New York’s potential second-round opponent, Milwaukee. If the Knicks matchup with the Bucks, they may not have to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and even if they do, New York won the last two matchups against the Bucks this season.
But Milwaukee has had its struggles with first-round opponent Indiana, and the team is tied 1-1 currently in the series. A Pacers vs. Knicks second-round series would ignite a long-dormant rivalry and a possible easier path to the Eastern Conference Finals.
A matchup with Boston there would be extremely difficult, so our best New York futures bet based on the Knicks odds is the exact conference finalist matchup of Boston vs. New York at +140.
