The NBA playoffs were a thrill ride for the Knicks and the celebrations seem like they are still going.

Those are the spoils of winning a championship in New York City.

Now, the Knicks have to put that all behind them as they embark on their title defense this season. Their first competitive contest takes them to Philadelphia to face the 76ers, who arguably won the offseason with their splashy offseason moves.

Knicks vs. 76ers preseason prediction, bets

Betting on the preseason in any sport is tricky and, frankly, not recommended.

The amount of variables at play make it difficult to handicap games and can lead to wild outcomes. That said, there are a few things we can feel confident about in this first preseason game.

Head coach Mike Brown said he will play his starters some minutes but will try to focus more on developing players off his bench. The Knicks’ rotation is well established as they brought back all but one regular player (Mitchell Robinson) from the championship team.

That means we will see much more of the young players on this Knicks team and guys who are trying to make the roster.

Mohamed Diawara, Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, in addition to two-way players Kevin McCuller Jr. and Tyler Nickel should all expect to see extended minutes in this game.

We can also expect to see the Knicks vets they have fighting for the 15th roster spot see the floor in this game. But that group, which includes players like James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks, and Bruce Brown is less impressive than what the 76ers will have coming off their bench.

Like the Knicks, the 76ers likely won’t play their main rotation players heavy minutes, but the Sixers have much more experience coming off their bench.

Betting on the NBA?

Even some of their young players like Justin Edwards, and Dominick Barlow have played significant minutes in the regular season and playoffs.

The same can’t be said for the young guys coming off the Knicks bench.

The line for this game is Sixers -1.5 points, basically a pick’em, but I think Philly’s reserves have an edge over the Knicks.

The Pick: 76ers -1.5 (-105, FanDuel)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.