Knicks set to battle the 76ers in Game 1 on Saturday

Knicks set to battle the 76ers in Game 1 on Saturday

With their 105-104 squeaker over the Miami Heat in Wednesday night’s play-in game, the Philadelphia 76ers will advance to face the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 will take place at 6 pm on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Philadelphia finished the season as the seventh seed of the Eastern Conference. The Knicks overtook the Milwaukee Bucks to claim the second seed. New York won their regular season matchups, 3-1. In the one loss, neither team broke 80 points.

To defeat the Heat, Joel Embiid logged 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Nic Batum added 20 bench points while shooting 6-of-10 from deep. The Fighting Cheesesteaks were a top team in the East until the reigning MVP Embiid went down with a left knee injury. He underwent surgery on the lateral meniscus in early February. Without him, Philly sank in the standings, despite strong play by point guard Tyrese Maxey. Embiid hurried his rehabilitation to return for the tail end of the season.

The Heat will face the winner of tonight’s play-in game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls.

In last year’s playoffs, the Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round but were then bounced by the Boston Celtics, 4-3. Their roster will present interesting matchups for the Knicks, but the odds are in New York’s favor. Embiid has yet to regain his stamina, and the Knicks have the best 1-2 center tandem in the NBA with Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson. Bring ‘em on. Go Knicks!