The Knicks have an opportunity to close out the 76ers Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, after squeezing out a win in Game 4 on the road. Jalen Brunson carried the Knicks to a win on Sunday, dropping a Knicks franchise-record 47 points to put Philadelphia on the brink of elimination. If the Knicks win, it will be the second-consecutive season in which they've made it past the first round, and it would set up a second-round meeting with either the Indiana Pacers or Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers will be playing with some desperation Tuesday night as Joel Embiid tries to will Philly to another win and extend their season. Embiid, who revealed he was recently diagnosed with Bell's palsy, missed shootaround on Tuesday and is reportedly dealing with migraines.
Here's what you need to know ahead of Game 5.
Knicks vs. 76ers -- Game 5 info
- Date: Tuesday, April 30 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Madison Square Garden -- New York City
- TV channel: TNT | Live stream: Max, Watch TNT
- Odds: Knicks -4.5, O/U: 203
Knicks vs. 76ers storylines
Knicks: It says a lot if the Knicks are able to pull out a win when Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart combine to put up 12 points. But that's just the brilliance of Brunson, who showed off his clutch scoring at the end of Game 4 to put the Knicks one win from the second round. The players around Brunson will need to step up for Game 5 as well as the rest of the playoffs, because relying on Brunson to drop 40+ points is far too much to ask, even if he is capable of doing it with ease. Hart was still incredibly impactful in other ways, but it would still be nice for him to knock down a couple shots to easy some of that burden off of Brunson.
76ers: The Sixers blew a huge opportunity in Game 4 down the stretch, but when you're asking a banged up Embiid to play the entire second half, it's going to result in him getting worn out. That's exactly what happened in the fourth quarter, so Nick Nurse will have to manage Embiid's minutes a bit better to ensure he's refreshed in the closing minutes when the Sixers really need him. He's currently listed as questionable for Tuesday night's game as he's dealing with a migraine, but I doubt he sits this one out with his team's season on the line.
Game 5 prediction
The Knicks have just been more reliable, and now that Brunson has come along in the last couple games, it feels like this is New York's game to lose at Madison Square Garden. The Pick: Knicks -4.5
