Wednesday night features a rematch of the first round of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season, as the New York Knicks hit the road to play Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philly is playing the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, but Joel Embiid, Paul George, Maxey, Andre Drummond, Jared McCain and others missed that contest. McCain (knee surgery) will remain out in this one, but there’s a chance the Sixers could get their entire Big 3 back in action on Wednesday night. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks are coming off a home loss to the Detroit Pistons and have struggled overall in the month of January. New York is just 5-5 in its last 10 games, and it may not have star center Karl-Anthony Towns (thumb) in this matchup. 

Towns is listed as questionable, but he was visibly seen in discomfort on Monday night after injuring his thumb on multiple plays against Detroit. 

Still, oddsmakers have set the Knicks as six-point favorites on the road. While the Sixers are outside of the playoff picture right now, they are a much different team if all three of their stars play.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds, players to bet in the prop market and my prediction for Wednesday’s Eastern Conference showdown. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Knicks Injury Report

76ers Injury Report

(Note: Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all sat out the front end of a back-to-back on Tuesday night). 

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

If Towns sits, Knicks wing Josh Hart is nearly a lock to clear 9.5 rebounds on Wednesday night, and he’s a player that is worth considering as a ladder prop (11+ rebound at +105, 12+ rebounds at +165, 13+ rebounds at +250) against Philadelphia.

Hart is averaging 9.4 rebounds per game this season, picking up at least 11 boards in 11 of his last 12 contests. Over that 12-game stretch, Hart is averaging 12.6 rebounds per game.

This is a great matchup for the Knicks guard, as the Sixers rank dead last in the NBA in rebounding percentage in the 2024-25 season. Hart also had 12 rebounds (and recorded a triple-double) in his first meeting with Philly this season.

Don’t be shocked if he has another big game on the glass on Wednesday night. 

Philadelphia 76ers Best NBA Prop Bet

Maxey gave New York loads of trouble in the playoffs last season, and he’s been hot scoring the ball as of late.

While the All-Star guard sat out on Tuesday, he’s scored at least 29 points in four straight games and has cleared 24.5 points in 10 of his last 14 contests, averaging 27.7 points per game over that stretch.

After Cade Cunningham dropped 36 on the Knicks on Monday, I wouldn’t be shocked to see another point guard have a field day against this New York defense. 

Neither of these teams has posted an impressive against the spread record in this spot (the Knicks are 8-9 against the spread as road favorites, Philly is 3-5-1 as a home underdog), so I’m looking to the total on Wednesday night.

Both of these squads play at a slow pace, and that likely will only slow down more if Embiid returns to the lineup for Philly. 

The Sixers (28th in pace) are also just 25th in the NBA in offensive rating so far this season. New York plays a little faster (25th in pace), but both of these teams are in the top 10 in the NBa in opponent points per game.

Not only that, but the UNDER has hit in 10 of the 18 home games that the Sixers have played this season.

With so many players up in the air due to injuries, I think this total (all the way up at 219) is a little too high tonight.  

Pick: UNDER 219 (-110)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.