NBA Betting Action – New-Look Sixers Host New-Style Knicks
The Philadelphia 76ers (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, 0-1 O/U) made the biggest offseason free agent acquisition in the league by signing perennial all-star power forward Elton Brand to a long-term mega-bucks deal.
The New York Knicks (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 O/U) also made a major transaction by hiring former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni’ to lead their team out of mediocrity.
BetUS NBA sports betting enthusiasts will get to see the longtime foes square off at the Wachovia Center tonight in Philadelphia.
After making a surprising run to the postseason last year, many basketball analysts have projected Philadelphia to win somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 games this season.
On the other hand, no one has really expected the Knicks to make many major on-court strides this season even after hiring D’Antoni.
After one regular season contest so far, I am going on record to say that the Sixers will likely not improve as much as most people think while the Knicks will surpass the expectations of everyone except themselves.
The Knicks are going to run and gun this season under D’Antoni, often shooting the ball inside seven seconds when they have possessions while Philadelphia will also plays an up-tempo style of ball, but nowhere near the pace of the Knicks.
New York is coming off a 120-115 season-opening home victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, covering the spread as 2.5-point favorites as Jamal Crawford scored 29 points and Zach Randolph added 20 points. Four other players also reached double figures in scoring.
The 76ers lost their regular season opener, also on Wednesday, falling to the Toronto Raptors 95-84 while failing to cover as 4-point home favorites. Lead by reserve guard Louis Williams’ 16-points, Philadelphia was outscored in each of the final three quarters.
Brand recorded a double-double, scoring a modest 14 points and grabbed 10 but Philadelphia had no answer for Toronto’s Chris Bosh or Jermaine O’Neal who scored 27 and 17 points respectively.
Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by mu in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks.
NBA Odds
New York Knicks +8 -110
Philadelphia 76ers -8 -110
Over 217½ -110
Under 217½ -110
Analysis: A lot of people say the Sixers have a chance to win 50 games because of the addition of veteran all-star power forward Elton Brand, but I think that may be pushing it a bit! Either way, I like the ‘run-n-gun’ New York Knicks to cover the spread in this contest while pushing Philadelphia for the outright win!
Take the Knicks to cover and the Over NBA betting fanatics!