New York @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 15, 2018 ) Philadelphia 118, New York 110

The Philadelphia 76ers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference as they try to lock up homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The surging Sixers will try to push their winning streak to eight straight when they host the lowly New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Philadelphia is occupying the No. 4 spot in the East but enters play on Tuesday one game behind the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers after dominating the Denver Nuggets in a 123-104 victory on Monday. The 76ers are 25-11 at home and will play seven of their last nine games against teams with losing records, beginning with the Knicks. New York is 21 games under .500 but is playing well on its road trip after stunning the Washington Wizards in a 101-97 win on Sunday and falling 137-128 in overtime at Charlotte on Monday. The Knicks are spending the rest of the season giving players a chance to earn a spot in the team's future, and guard Trey Burke is making the most of his opportunity.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE KNICKS (27-48): Burke scored a team-high 19 points in the win at Charlotte and exploded on Monday for a career-high 42 points on 19-of-31 shooting and 12 assists. “He’s been playing great,” New York coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters. “He’s a hard guy to guard one-on-one. He seems to be able to get a shot off any time he wants. He played a great game." Burke, a 25-year-old former lottery pick who was plucked out of the G League by the Knicks in January, is averaging 23 points on 57.4 percent shooting over the past four games.

ABOUT THE 76ERS (43-30): Philadelphia is flush with young talent and got another promising youngster back in the lineup on Monday when No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz (shoulder) returned from a five-month absence. Fultz collected 10 points and eight assists in 14 minutes off the bench and is trying to get up to speed in time to be a factor off the bench in the postseason. "The way he was embraced by his teammates just reinforces what I think of our group and how close they really are," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters of his team's reaction to Fultz's return. "And then he came out and he played. He showed signs of why he was the first player chosen."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Knicks C Enes Kanter recorded a double-double in each of the last five games.

2. 76ers SG Marco Belinelli is averaging 15.8 points on 60.4 percent shooting over the last four games.

3. Philadelphia took each of the first three meetings this season, including a 108-92 home win on Feb. 12.

PREDICTION: 76ers 120, Knicks 104