NBA Preview: Sixers Vs. Knicks (Dec. 19) – Time Start, Channel, Players To Watch

by Bill PiersaDecember 19, 2018, 1:41 pmNews >

The 9-23 New York Knicks will take on the 20-12 Philadelphia 76ers at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.

Knicks To Visit 76ers on Wednesday

Philadelphia is favored by 13 points and the over-under is set at 228. Both teams are in the depths of a losing streak. The Knicks have lost seven of their last eight. Meanwhile, the Sixers have lost three of their last four to Brooklyn, Indiana and San Antonio. But don’t think that’ll make it any easier for the Knicks. They’ve lost three of their last four on the road. Philly is 4-2 at the Wells Fargo Center in their last six games there.

There definitely are some teams that are better than their records. The Spurs shouldn’t be a game over .500. The Knicks deserve to be 9-23, maybe even worse. At least it’s been a fun team to watch. Tim Hardaway Jr. has led the team most nights in points scored, followed by a combination of Trey Bruke, Allonzo Trier and Enes Kanter.

As fun as Kanter is to follow on Twitter, he hasn’t been a ton of fun to watch on the court. The man can’t defend pick-and-rolls. With J.J. Redick, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid on the floor, the Sixers are going to run circles around the Turk all night.

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Also, keep in mind the Sixers killed the Knicks the last time they played, 117-91. In the first quarter alone, they dropped 41 points on a lackluster New York defense. Redick got 24 points with 14 in the first quarter, Simmons was only needed for 26 minutes and Embiid had a full game in 30 minutes. He walked away with 26 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, most of which were courtesy of Kanter. Don’t forget Jimmy Butler is finally meshing with the team and he’s even doing podcasts for his teammates, so expect more out of him than just seven points, four rebounds and two assists.

The Knicks are definitely going to lose this game. But that’s what this season should be. Their best player tore up his knee last year, they’ve got four different point guards that are fighting for playing time, two really good young players in Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox to develop, and their first top draft pick in years.

Meanwhile, the 76ers are following Embiid and his Shaq style of playing to the playoffs. Expect them to rest some of their stars later in the game.