New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction, 5/8/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers

Date: Friday, May 8, 2026

Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA

TV: Prime Video

Odds/Point Spread: New York (+1.5)

The New York Knicks (53-29) are headed to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday where they will attempt to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers (45-37) in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Knicks lead 2-0. Philadelphia opens this contest as 1.5-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total comes in at 213.5.

The Knicks earned the Game 2 victory by a final of 108-102. New York walked away from the contest with a 50.6% field goal percentage (40 out of 79) and knocked down 7 of 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Knicks made 21 of 25 shots for a percentage of 84.0%. In the matter of hauling in boards, they earned 37 with 9 of them being offensive. They also distributed 25 assists for the game as well as forcing the opposition into 18 turnovers and getting 10 steals. With respect to defense, New York let their opponent shoot 45.3% from the floor on 34 out of 75 shooting. Philadelphia distributed 20 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. Furthermore, Philadelphia had 39 boards (11 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 2 blocked shots. Philadelphia finished the contest at 75.0% at the free throw line by making 21 of their 28 tries. They also buried 13 of 34 attempts from downtown. Concerning personal fouls, the Knicks ended up with 20 while the 76ers recorded 23 personal fouls.

Jalen Brunson is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He totaled 26 points on 9 out of 21 shooting. He played 41 mins played and also collected 1 rebound. Brunson finished shooting 42.9% from the floor and also dished out 6 dimes.

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New York enters this matchup with a mark of 53-29 this year. They have an average of 116.5 pts per game (10th in basketball) while going 47.8% from the floor. The Knicks are hitting 37.3% on 3-pointers (1,168 of 3,133) and 79.2% from the free throw line. As a team, New York is collecting 45.6 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 2,250 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 13th in the league in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 13.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 20.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Knicks are able to force 14.4 turnovers per game while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They are 6th in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,050 relinquished this season. The Knicks defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.0% (3,223 of 7,014) and they relinquish 40.5 boards per game as a squad. They concede 36.2% on shots from distance and they are ranked 5th in the NBA in points per game allowed (110.1).

Philly didn't going offensively in Game 2. The 76ers corralled 28 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 39 for this contest. They turned the ball over 18 times, while recording 8 steals in the game. The Knicks committed 20 fouls in this matchup which got the 76ers to the free throw line for a total of 28 shots. They were able to bury 21 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 75.0%. When talking about shots from distance, Philadelphia buried 13 of their 34 tries (38.2%). When the final whistle blew, the 76ers ended up going 34 for 75 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.3%. The 76ers permitted the Knicks to make 40 of 79 tries from the floor which had them shooting 50.6% for the matchup. They finished 26.9% from 3-point land by shooting 7 out of 26 and ended up going 21 out of 25 at the free throw line (84.0%). In the matter of how they attacked the glass, Philadelphia permitted New York to get 37 in total (9 offensive).

Tyrese Maxey ended up having an impact for the 76ers in the game. Maxey tallied 26 points in his 47 minutes of playing time and accounted for 6 assists in this matchup. He converted 9 of 23 for this contest giving him a rate of 39.1%, and added 3 rebounds.

Philadelphia has a win-loss record of 45-37 this year. As an offensive team, the 76ers are shooting 46.2% from the field, which is ranked 23rd in the league. Philadelphia has accounted for 9,502 points on the year (115.9 per game) and they pull in 43.6 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 24.6 times per contest (29th in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 13.6 times per contest. The 76ers are responsible for committing 20.3 fouls per contest while shooting 80.9% from the free throw line.

The Philadelphia defense concedes 35.3% on shots from distance (1,097 of 3,108) and opponents are converting on 78.5% of their free throw shots. They give up 27.6 dimes and 45.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 22nd and 22nd in the NBA. The 76ers defensively are ranked 19th in the league in points per game surrendered with 116.1. They are able to force 15.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.7% from the floor (12th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New York (+1.5)

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