Eastern Conference showdown: The expert's prediction for tonight's Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks

The NBA comes back this Thursday with a calendar full of high-intensity duels. Early in the eveningh, the New York Knicks will be traveling to the City of Broderly Love, to face the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Knicks, after the All-Star break, are in 4th place in the East with a 33-22 record, while the Sixers are immediately behind with a 32-22 balance. The game, as you can see, is very evenly matched, and heading into the end of the season it could be key to be in the top four of the Conference and have the crucial home court factor in favor for the first round of the playoffs.

Both teams arrive to the game with a number of very serious injuries. New York Knicks will be without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, three key players in coach Tom Thibodeau's scheme. Likewise, Philadelphia 76ers are still without their main star, Joel Embiid, although with the additions made at the last Trade Deadline the team hopes to continue to hurt the Knicks. The stars of the duel will be Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Brunson, who just came from participating in the All-Star Game.

After this, in a game as crucial as this is, it is important to know what the experts' opinion is. According to a report published by the media Sportskeeda, these will be the starting five of the two teams and this is how the duel, which will be tight from start to finish, will unfold:

- Knicks roster: Jalen Brunson - Donte DiVincenzo - Josh Hart - Precious Achiuwa - Isaiah Hartenstein

- Sixers roster: Tyrese Maxey - Buddy Hield - Kelly Oubre Jr. - Tobias Harris - Paul Reed

- Winner: Philadelphia 76ers

- Point differential: Sixers win by the minimum (-5 points) in a very close game that will be decided by home advantage.