76ers vs. Knicks Prediction, Spread, Picks for NBA Opening Night – 10/20/26

After a long offseason, the 2026-27 NBA regular season officially begins on Tuesday, October 20. In one of Tuesday’s three games, the New York Knicks will host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC. 

The Knicks are 4.5-point home favorites on NBA Opening Night, via PrizePicks. New York captured its first NBA title in 53 years by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the 2026 NBA Finals. 

Meanwhile, Philadelphia upset the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the 2026 NBA playoffs before the Knicks swept them in the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

Let’s jump into tonight’s NBA Opening Night action, highlighted by our 76ers vs. Knicks prediction and picks for Tuesday, including player projections on PrizePicks.

Make your 76ers vs. Knicks picks for NBA Opening Night on PrizePicks!

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76ers vs. Knicks Prediction, Spread, Over/Under for NBA Opening Night – Tuesday, October 20

The Knicks enter Tuesday’s game as 4.5-point home favorites against the 76ers and return a 1.53x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks.

Here are the full payouts for the 76ers vs. Knicks game on PrizePicks, including winner payouts, the spread, and over/under. PrizePicks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Make your 76ers vs. Knicks prediction on the spread on PrizePicks.

The 76ers have been eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals or earlier in the NBA Playoffs in eight of their last nine seasons. Philadelphia has seen its season end at the hands of New York in two of its last three seasons.

After the Knicks swept them last postseason, the 76ers made significant front-office changes, replacing Daryl Morey with Mike Gansey as president of basketball operations. Gansey came over from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office and immediately made a massive splash in his new post. 

Philadelphia landed G/F Jaylen Brown in a trade with the Boston Celtics, with G/F Paul George heading the other way. Brown has put together a spectacular 10-year career, averaging 20.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.9 APG. The former lottery pick helped lead the Celtics to an NBA title in 2024 and was named the NBA Finals MVP. 

After acquiring Brown, the 76ers weren’t satisfied with one bold move. Philadelphia lured F LeBron James to sign a two-year, $8 million deal. At 41, one of the NBA’s greatest players joins a 76ers starting five that includes G Tyrese Maxey, G V.J. Edgecombe, C Joel Embiid, and Brown. 

One of Philadelphia's biggest X-factors is Embiid's health. Throughout his NBA career, Embiid has had durability concerns, but he won’t have to carry as much of the offensive load with the star power on the 76ers’ roster. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks had a season for the ages as the franchise ended its championship drought. New York went on a 13-game winning streak from the first round to the NBA Finals, sweeping both the 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals.

The Knicks were led by G Jalen Brunson, who had a postseason to remember in 2026. Brunson averaged a team-high 28.4 PPG and 6.1 APG while shooting 36.3% on 3-pointers. The Villanova product earned NBA Finals MVP honors after racking up 32.6 PPG and shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc.

New York is bringing back mostly the same roster that won it all last season. C Andre Drummond was added in free agency as the backup to C Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has averaged a double-double in each of the last two seasons and is one of the NBA's most versatile bigs. 

The Knicks won six of the eight meetings throughout the 2025-26 regular season and playoffs. However, the 76ers posted a 3-1 record against the spread in road games.

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76ers vs. Knicks Prediction on Spread for NBA Opening Night – 10/20/26

Here are the key stats and predictions behind our 76ers vs. Knicks prediction on the spread for Tuesday’s NBA game.

• The Knicks struggled to defend the perimeter last season, allowing their opponents to shoot 36.2% from beyond the arc (20th).
• The 76ers may have shot only 34.9% as a team in 2025-26, but they added some terrific shooters to their roster. G/F Jaylen Brown (career 35.8% on 3-pointers), LeBron James (34.8%), G Anfernee Simons (38.1%), and G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (36.5%) should all help Philadelphia excel from beyond the 3-point line.
• Philadelphia forced 14.8 turnovers per game in 2025-26, which ranked ninth in the league. G Tyrese Maxey sat second in steals per contest (1.9) last season, while G V.J. Edgecombe forced 1.4 steals per game (fifth).
• The 76ers thrived by being active in the passing lanes, averaging 16.0 fastbreak points per contest (10th).
• In the past two seasons, F LeBron James has averaged 28.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 8.7 APG in three games vs. the Knicks, while scoring 30+ points in two of those contests. Additionally, James has averaged 28.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 6.9 RPG in 33 games at Madison Square Garden.

Lock in your 76ers vs. Knicks prediction on PrizePicks before tip-off.

76ers vs. Knicks Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 10/20/26

Our top 76ers vs. Knicks player picks for NBA Opening Night on PrizePicks include Jaylen Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns.

76ers G/F Jaylen Brown vs. Knicks: 21.5 Points

• Brown averaged 20.0 PPG and shot 58.3% from the field in three preseason games.
• The 76ers wing scored 20+ points in two of those three preseason contests.
• Brown spent 28.8% of his time on the ball with the Celtics last year. While the 76ers will likely have G Tyrese Maxey and F LeBron James running the offense, Brown should still handle the ball often on his new squad.
• The five-time All-Star is shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc in his career. Thanks to a loaded 76ers lineup, Brown should get plenty of above-average looks. 

Add Jaylen Brown + 76ers to win to your PrizePicks lineup now.

Knicks C Karl-Anthony Towns vs. 76ers: 30.5 Pts + Rebs

• Towns averaged 20.1 PPG and 11.9 RPG in 75 games last season.
• The Knicks’ big man grabbed 27.7% of his available defensive rebounds, ranking in the 99th percentile in 2025-26.
• Towns has attempted 25.6 true shot attempts per 100 possessions, which ranked in the 89th percentile last season.
• The Knicks star has registered at least 31 combined points and rebounds in seven of his last eight games against the 76ers. 

Pick Karl-Anthony Towns + Knicks to cover the spread on PrizePicks.

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Make 76ers vs. Knicks Picks on PrizePicks

The 76ers had a busy offseason that included adding G/F Jaylen Brown and F LeBron James. Will Philadelphia’s new group have chemistry right off the bat and potentially beat New York on NBA Opening Night? 

Don’t wait until tip-off — make your 76ers vs. Knicks picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right. Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on NBA game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 36 states.

Plus, you can make your NBA predictions for the 2026-27 season, including the NBA Finals winner, win totals, the MVP, and more, all on PrizePicks.

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