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The New York Knicks will take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Knicks-Warriors prediction and pick.
It just hasn't been New York's year. Coming into the season, the Knicks were expected to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Instead, a 24-31 record has them wallowing towards the bottom of the conference. The Warriors haven't had any similar problems as their 41-14 record is the second-best mark in the entire NBA. Regardless of the records, this should be one of the better games of the Thursday night slate. It's time to get into the pick.
Here are the Knicks-Warriors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Knicks-Warriors Odds
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New York Knicks: +9.5 (-114)
Golden State Warriors: -9.5 (-106)
Over: 218 (-112)
Under: 218 (-108)
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
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One of the few bright spots of New York's season has been their defense. The Knicks are only allowing 106 points per game while giving up some of the lowest shooting percentages in the league to their opponents. Head coach Tom Thibodeau's squad also only gives up an average of 38 field goals made per game, one of the best numbers in the league. This New York defense should play well in this matchup.
This spread seems a little bit too large for the matchup. Over the last seven times, the Warriors have faced a spread this big or bigger as a favorite, they've only managed to cover the spread twice. The Knicks have also only played against a spread this size or bigger once since November 20th. It looks like the bookmakers are giving the Warriors a little bit too much credit here.
Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread
Golden State has every edge imaginable in this game. Their style of offense even plays well against this vaunted Knicks defense. The Warriors are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA, as shown by their 36% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Head coach Steve Kerr's team also shoots 40 threes per game, one of the highest numbers in the entire league. The Knicks currently give up an average of 13 threes made per game to their opponents, one of the worst numbers in the NBA. Golden State should take advantage of that and rain down threes in this game.
New York is dealing with a number of injuries in this contest. Small forward RJ Barrett has already been ruled out of this one, and center Mitchell Robinson is questionable along with his backup Nerlens Noel. Thibodeau is notoriously reliant on his starters, so the absence of Barrett and Robinson will play a big part here. Alec Burks and Taj Gibson will be forced to play plenty of minutes against one of the most talented, athletic teams in the NBA. That doesn't sound like a recipe for success.
Final Knicks-Warriors Prediction & Pick
It's impossible to trust the Knicks on the road here. The Warriors should probably be favored by even more here. Lock in Golden State to win by double digits in a blowout.
Final Knicks-Warriors Pick: Golden State Warriors: -9.5 (-106)
