Knicks vs. Sixers Series Preview & Prediction

With Game 1 tipping off tomorrow, let's preview the series by breaking down each positional matchup…

With the Sixers beating the Heat Wednesday night, we know who the Knicks will take on in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. 

Here's the full schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, April 20 — Sixers at Knicks, 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 2: Monday, April 22 — Sixers at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT 
Game 3: Thursday, April 25 — Knicks at Sixers, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 4: Sunday, April 28 — Knicks at Sixers, 1 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 5: Tuesday, April 30 — Sixers at Knicks, time / broadcast TBD
Game 6: Thursday, May 2 — Knicks at Sixers, time / broadcast TBD 
Game 7: Saturday, May 4 — Sixers at Knicks, on TNT, time TBD

With Game 1 tipping off tomorrow, let's preview the series by breaking down each positional matchup…

🏀 Guard: 
Jalen Brunson vs. Kyle Lowry

If the Knicks are going to advance to the second round, they need their best player to play at an incredibly high level. Fortunately for New York, he's been doing just that all season. 

As I detailed in Wednesday's post, a strong case can be made that Brunson has been one of the five most valuable players in the league this season, and he will likely land on the All-NBA First Team after averaging 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.7 made three-pointers per game. 

Just as encouraging for Knicks fans, Brunson has proven he can step up when the lights shine brightest. In the last playoff game Brunson appeared in (Game 6 in Miami last May), he racked up 41 points, four rebounds, three assists and five triples. That was two nights after he tallied 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in New York's Game 5 victory at MSG. For the series, Brunson averaged 31.0 points, 5.5 boards and 6.3 dimes. He will need to post similarly impressive numbers for NY to advance.

Lowry, who turned 38 last month, is nearing the tail end of his career but can still provide an offensive spark, make big shots, take charges, and generally be a pest. 

EDGE: Knicks

🏀 Guard: 
Donte DiVincenzo vs. Tyrese Maxey

DiVincenzo exceeded even the highest expectations during his debut season in New York. He averaged 18/4/3 in his 63 starts and finished the year with 283 made three-pointers, which ranked third in the NBA and shattered the Knicks' all-time record. 

DDV also played a crucial role defensively, often matching up against the other team's best backcourt scorer. New York will throw a bunch of different bodies and coverages at Maxey, but DiVincenzo may get the first crack. 

And make no mistake, slowing down Mr. Maxey is a tall order. The fourth-year guard averaged 25.9 points and 6.2 assists vs. just 1.7 turnovers, becoming just the second player in NBA history to average more than 25 points and five dimes while committing fewer than two turnovers over an entire season.