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The New York Knicks will travel to the nation's capitol to take on the Washington Wizards in a Friday night NBA matchup at the Capital One Arena. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Knicks-Wizards prediction and pick, laid out below.
New York has gone 23-19 in year three under Tom Thibodeau, who guided the team to the playoffs in his first season. The Knicks snapped a four-game winning streak with a loss to Milwaukee earlier this week. The team has been extremely streaky, winning eight straight before losing five in a row, followed by a four-game winning streak.
Washington has struggled to an 18-24 record this season, 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The team suffered a 10-game losing streak to open December, but has won seven of their last 11 games since the losing streak. Head coach Wes Unseld is in his second season with the franchise.
Here are the Knicks-Wizards NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Knicks-Wizards Odds
New York Knicks: -4.5 (-114)
Washington Wizards: +4.5 (-106)
Over: 222.5 (-110)
Under: 222.5 (-110)
How To Watch Knicks vs. Wizards
TV: MSG Network, NBC Sports Washington
Stream: NBA, NBA League Pass
Article Continues Below
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
Julius Randle leads the team with 24.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, the lone Knick putting up a double-double. Randle has shot 45.6 percent from the field, also taking the most shots per game on the team. Jalen Brunson, the team’s big free agent pickup this offseason after missing out on Donovan Mitchell, has scored 21.9 points while dishing out 6.4 assists per game, which leads the team. The combo of Randle and Brunson has proven to be a solid option.
New York does not dish the ball overly well, ranking 25th in assists. The good news for New York is their main scorers work at creating their own shots. RJ Barrett, the former third overall pick out of Duke, has averaged 19.9 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting. Barrett’s three-point shooting has suffered this season, but raising that number closer to his career average will likely increase his scoring output. Immanuel Quickley, coming mostly off the bench in his 42 appearances, has averaged 12.1 points per game.
New York ranks third in the league with 47.3 rebounds per game, while Washington is allowing 43.1 per game. New York’s offense is pretty average, ranking 15th with 114.1 points per game. The defense has been great lately, ranking eighth by allowing 111.3 points per game.
Why The Wizards Could Cover The Spread
Bradley Beal leads the team with 22.9 points and 5.2 assists per game. Unfortunately, Beal will likely be out the rest of the week. Kristaps Porzingis is second on the team with 22.0 points and leads the team with 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Porzingis has shot 47.6 percent from the field but is questionable for this matchup. Kyle Kuzma, in his second year with Washington, has averaged 21.3 points per game, which would be a career-high across a full season. Kuzma has also pulled in 7.4 rebounds per game.
Washington ranks 12th in the league with 44.0 rebounds per game, and fifth in blocks at 5.4. Rui Hamichura is the fourth Wizard to average double-digit points, with 12.9 points on 49.3 percent shooting. Hamichura has come off the bench in all 26 of his appearances. Monte Morris is the fifth and final Wizard in double-digits, averaging 10.1 points per game.
Washington has been pedestrian offensively, ranking 25th with 111.8 points per game. Defense has been better for the Wizards, ranking 14th with 113.1 points allowed per game.
Final Knicks-Wizards Prediction & Pick
New York continues their streaky ways, with a second straight victory.
Final Knicks-Wizards Prediction & Pick: New York -4.5 (-114), over 222.5 (-110)
