Knicks, Sixers To Break Regular Season Series Deadlock; Preserve Winning Ways

Philadelphia's Joel Embiid reacts after scoring in the 76ers' 121-109 NBA victory over the Milwaukee Bucks — The Philadelphia 76ers try to keep their winning roll intact when they visit the Knicks on Sunday. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sarah Stier

KEY POINTS

The Sixers will try to go up in their regular season series with the Knicks Sunday
The Sixers and the Knicks will bank on their defensive efforts to keep their winning ways going
The Knicks need to find a way to contain Joel Embiid and James Harden to book their second win in a row

The Philadelphia 76ers will try to maintain their winning run when they visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Sunday.

The Knicks and the Sixers are tied at one game apiece in the regular season series. The Knicks took the first game, 106-104, in November 2022. However, the Sixers bounced back with a 119-112 win the following month.

The Sixers' latest win came Friday at the expense of the San Antonio Spurs, 137-125.

In that win, Joel Embiid led the way with a double-double performance of 33 points and 10 rebounds. Backing him up was Tyrese Maxey, who came off the bench to drop 25 markers and issue four dimes.

Although they are loaded with offensive options, the Sixers are expected to turn to their defensive efforts to try to pull off a win on Sunday.

Philly is fourth in the league in team points allowed, surrendering 111 points per contest. They have a defensive rating of 111.5, sixth in the NBA.

On the other side, the Knicks are fresh from a 106-104 conquest of the Miami Heat Thursday.

RJ Barrett led the way with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Julius Randle, who was recently named an NBA All-Star for the second time, chipped in 23 points and 10 boards.

"The thing that I love about RJ is I always believe he's going to bounce back and I saw it immediately the next day after the Laker game," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game, according to ESPN. "I said we'll be fine because I know, like, it's important to RJ, so I knew he'd come out aggressive."

Like the Sixers, the Knicks are expected to rely on their defense as well for Sunday's game.

They are 10th in the league in team points allowed, giving up 112.5 points per game. As for their defensive rating, they are 17th in the NBA with a 113.7, meaning they will have to do better to contain a team that has Embiid and James Harden in tow.

The Sixers are -6 favorites to prevail over the Knicks, which are at +6, according to Odds Shark. The Moneyline is -250 for Philadelphia and +205 for New York.

The Knicks get ready for battle against the Sixers at Madison Square Garden in a huge Eastern Conference showdown. The game will start at 6 p.m. EST Sunday and will be televised over ESPN. Live streaming will also be available through NBA League Pass.