76ers vs. Knicks predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets for October 20

No question Madison Square Garden will live up to its moniker as the Mecca of Basketball Tuesday night when Jalen Brunson and the Knicks raise a championship banner and then take the court against LeBron James and the 76ers.

New York enters the season with much of the core that powered last year’s title run intact, led by Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The lone casualty of the offseason was Mitchell Robinson who signed with the Celtics as a free agent this past offseason. Andre Drummond signed as a free agent to help fill the void left by the fan-favorite Robinson. Philadelphia arrives with arguably the league’s most dramatically revamped roster. The Sixers spent the summer reshaping the franchise around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, acquiring Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James, while also adding Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The roster overhaul came at the expense of Paul George (Celtics), Quentin Grimes (Lakers), Kelly Oubre Jr. (Pacers) and the aforementioned Drummond.

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For the 76ers, the biggest storyline is how do all these stars on their roster play together? It is a lot of mouths to feed, and we have not even mentioned VJ Edgecombe. On paper, the lineup offers plenty of scoring and improved perimeter defense. There are definite questions with the collective defense in the lane, though. An even greater concern, however, exists in the areas of health and age. Embiid’s durability is and always will be under the microscope. He came to camp lighter and in better shape, but his health and subsequent minutes are certainly something to monitor as the season unfolds. One of LeBron James’ superpowers has been his health, but as he begins Season 24 at age 41, it is a fair concern.

The Knicks, meanwhile, are attempting to become the first team to repeat as NBA champions in nearly a decade. While their offseason was relatively quiet compared to Philadelphia’s, New York focused on retaining depth pieces, re-signing Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet and Mohamed Diawara while adding the aforementioned veteran center Andre Drummond from Philly….

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Publish date : 2026-10-19 21:19:00

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