Joel Embiid vs Jalen Brunson: A Closely Contested Eastern Conference Playoff Showdown Between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States of America
76ers secured seventh seed in playoffs after dramatic win against Miami Heat
Joel Embiid finished regular season with impressive 34.7 points per game average
Knicks had winning record against Sixers in regular season (3-1)
Rich playoff history between Knicks and Sixers with ten meetings since their first encounter in NBA Finals in 1951
Series schedule: Game 1-7 from April 20 to May 4 at New York and Philadelphia
Joel Embiid vs Jalen Brunson: A Closely Contested Eastern Conference Playoff Showdown Between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers

The Eastern Conference first-round matchup between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers promises to be an exciting one, with both teams having impressive performances during the regular season. The 76ers, led by their MVP candidate Joel Embiid, secured a surprising seventh seed in the playoffs after a dramatic win against the Miami Heat in the play-in game. Meanwhile, the Knicks clinched the second seed with 50 wins and three victories over Philadelphia when Embiid was out.

Embiid had an impressive regular season despite missing 43 games due to injury. He finished with a 6-0 record and nine straight wins when he was in the lineup, leading the Sixers to a winning percentage of .800 (32-8) compared to their struggling record without him. Embiid averaged an impressive 34.7 points per game, which is slightly higher than league leader Luka Doncic's scoring output.

The Knicks, on the other hand, had a winning record against the Sixers in the regular season (3-1), with Jalen Brunson keeping Embiid under 30% shooting in two of their meetings. Nick Nurse acknowledged that the Knicks are a good team with fast players who can shoot and defend well.

The series schedule is as follows:

Game 1: Saturday, April 20 at New York, 6 p.m. Game 2: Monday, April 22 at New York, 7:30 p.m. Game 3: Thursday, April 25 vs. Knicks, TBD Game 4: Sunday, April 28 vs. Knicks, TBD Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 30 at New York, TBD Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 2 at New York, TBD Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4 at New York, TBD

The Knicks and the Sixers have a rich playoff history with ten meetings since their first encounter in the NBA Finals in 1951. The last time they faced each other was in the first round of the 1989 playoffs, where Patrick Ewing led the Knicks to a four-game sweep over Charles Barkley and the Sixers.

This year's series is expected to be closely contested, with both teams having their strengths and weaknesses. The Knicks have home-court advantage and a solid roster, while the 76ers have Embiid's dominance in their favor. It will be interesting to see how these factors play out in the coming games.



Confidence

100%

Doubts
  • None at this time.

Sources

96%

  • Unique Points
    • 76ers are favored over Knicks in the NBA playoffs as a No. 7 seed
    • Only happened once since 1988 for a No. 7 seed to be favored
    • Joel Embiid missed 43 games due to left knee injury this season
  • Accuracy
    • 76ers had a better winning percentage (79.4%) with Embiid compared to Celtics’ season-long mark of 78%
    • Joel Embiid finished the regular season with a 6-0 record and nine straight wins when he was in the lineup.
    • The Sixers had a losing record against Knicks in the regular season (1-3).
    • Embiid averaged 34.7 points per game in the regular season, which is slightly higher than league leader Luka Doncic’s scoring output.
    • Embiid got to the free-throw line 11.6 times per game and connected on 88.3 percent of his attempts this season.
    • Embiid shot a career-best 38.8 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in the regular season.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

  • Unique Points
    • Joel Embiid finished the regular season with a 6-0 record and nine straight wins when he was in the lineup.
    • The Sixers had a winning percentage of .800 (32-8) with Embiid compared to 16-27 without him.
    • Embiid averaged 34.7 points per game in the regular season, which is slightly higher than league leader Luka Doncic’s scoring output.
    • Embiid got to the free-throw line 11.6 times per game and connected on 88.3 percent of his attempts this season.
    • Embiid shot a career-best 38.8 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in the regular season.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

  • Unique Points
    • Sixers had a losing record against Knicks in the regular season (1-3).
    • Only win against Knicks was on March 10 with scores of 79-73.
    • Jalen Brunson was kept under 30% shooting in two matchups.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

95%

  • Unique Points
    • The Knicks won 50 games to secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
    • Jalen Brunson averaged 28.7 points and shot 48% overall against teams other than the Sixers this season.
  • Accuracy
    • Joel Embiid played in 31 out of Philadelphia’s 41 games, leading them to a record of 25-6.
    • The Knicks and Sixers have met four times this season, with the Knicks winning three out of those meetings.
    • Game 1 will be played on April 20 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.
    • The Knicks took the highest percentage of shots in the last six seconds of the shot clock in the league this season (24.5%).
    • Joel Embiid had been listed as questionable due to maintenance on his knee injury but played in the game against Heat.
    • The Knicks won 50 games during the regular season, including three of four from the Sixers, but Embiid played in only one of those games.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

96%

  • Unique Points
    • The Knicks won 50 games during the regular season, including three of four from the Sixers, but Embiid played in only one of those games.
    • Nick Nurse acknowledged that the Knicks are a good team with fast players who can shoot and defend well.
  • Accuracy
    • Joel Embiid had 23 points and 15 rebounds in the game.
    • The Knicks will face the 76ers in the first round of NBA playoffs for the first time since 1989.
    • Embiid had been listed as questionable due to maintenance on his knee injury but played in the game after an early-April return.
    • The Heat may not make it to the playoffs as they lost to Bulls and Jimmy Butler is feared to have suffered an MCL injury.
    • Tyrese Maxey acknowledged that the Knicks are a tough team with an identity and they will need to match their physicality to win.
    • The Sixers have won all six games in which Embiid has appeared since his return from injury.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication