New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction, Odds and NBA Playoffs Game 3 Picks for Today, 05/08/26

After the opening game of this second-round series, the Knicks surely looked like the top team in the Eastern Conference, and New York was a massive -10.5 favorite on Wednesday following the announcement that Joel Embiid would miss Game 2 due to injury. However, contrary to popular public sentiment before the game, the 76ers were able to band together and play with a ton of desperation and grit without their superstar big man, covering the spread but ultimately coming up short in the final minutes. It was the first time that the Knicks had been in a close game since suffering a 1-point defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks back on April 23, so it had to have been encouraging for the players and coaching staff to close out a hard-fought victory at home — even if they were unable to cover the huge spread. That said, Philadelphia should have at least 1 more high-level effort game in them, and the Knicks are also dealing with a pretty significant injury that could really hamper them on both ends of the floor in Game 3.

Generally speaking, teams in the playoffs that head home after suffering a pair of defeats on the road tend to perform very well in Game 3. Logically, it makes sense; the home team is going to get a significant boost from its fans and the visitors are going to have to deal with a hostile road environment after being at home for 2 games. Furthermore, it’s hard to imagine that New York’s insanely high level of play to continue for 48 more minutes away from Madison Square Garden, especially with the news that OG Anunoby is likely to miss this game with a hamstring strain. Anunoby has arguably been the best player on the Knicks during this postseason run, and his contributions will be sorely missed on both ends of the floor.

With the Knicks’ best defender out of the lineup, there should be plenty of opportunities for the likes of Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to put up strong performances in a spot where the Sixers offense should succeed at home. With Embiid off the floor, the 76ers are able to play fast and get the Knicks on their heels a bit defensively, which we saw at different points in Game 2. If Embiid does end up playing in this one, Philadelphia’s offense has a much higher ceiling, as the Sixers should have multiple shooters on the court surrounding Embiid at all times. The home team down 2-0 trend has been a consistent cash cow over the years, and I’m not going to ignore it now. Take the Sixers on the money line. 

Knicks vs 76ers Game 3 prediction: Philadelphia 76ers ML (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to -125.

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