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The NBA regular season continues with games on Monday. The San Antonio Spurs will hit the road and face off against the New York Knicks. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Spurs-Knicks prediction and pick.
These two teams have had somewhat similar starts to the season. The San Antonio Spurs are 15-24 and are coming off back to back losses. While the New York Knicks are 19-21 and are coming off a tough loss. This should be a good game between two teams trying to get back on track.
Here are the Spurs-Knicks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Spurs-Knicks Odds
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San Antonio Spurs: +6 (-110)
New York Knicks: -6 (-110)
Over: 212.5 (-110)
Under: 212.5 (-110)
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The San Antonio Spurs have had a disappointing first half of the season. Through their first 39 games they have a losing record with only 15 wins and 24 losses. They are coming off two straight losses and will look to turn things around on Monday. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets in overtime. In what was a fantastic all around game from both teams the Spurs came up just short, losing by two. While both COVID and injuries have been a factor in their struggles, San Antonio still needs to step up. Monday provides an opportunity for the Spurs to start gaining some momentum.
The Spurs were extremely impressive in their loss to the Nets. In a game where San Antonio was missing some key players and Brooklyn had both KD and Harden, the Spurs were able to give the Nets a run for their money. San Antonio was able to keep pace for one reason, volume. The Spurs took a ridiculous 107 shots in that game, compared to 98 from Brooklyn. Because San Antonio kept putting up shots, it allowed them to stay in the game. Most other metrics were nearly even, but the Spurs had a clear edge in volume. If they can put up that many shots on Monday, then the Knicks will likely struggle to keep up.
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Another big factor in the outcome of Monday's game is the effects of COVID and injuries. COVID has been sweeping across the league leaving nearly no team unaffected. The Spurs currently have seven players on their injury report, three of which are due to COVID. Headlining the unavailable players are Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, and Thaddeus Young. These players were unavailable against Brooklyn and the Spurs still managed to compete, so they will get another test on Monday.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
The New York Knicks started off as one of the hottest teams in basketball, yet as we near the halfway point of the season they have seemingly cooled down. Through their first 40 games they actually have a losing record with only 19 wins and 21 losses. New York is coming off an embarrassing 24 point loss to the Boston Celtics. While the Knicks are somewhat crippled due to injuries and COVID, that is no excuse for their performance in their last game. In a game where both Julius Randle and RJ Barrett played 40 minutes, the Knicks only scored 75 points. If New York wants to win on Monday they will need to improve on their last game.
Many signs point to the Knicks last game being a fluke. In the game prior they also faced the Celtics but actually managed to win by 3. The only roster difference between those two games was the loss of Evan Fournier, who had dropped 41 points in the Knicks win against the Celtics. In New York's last game no player scored more than 19 points and only seven players saw double digit playing time. It seemed like just every player on the team was off last game and it resulted in an embarrassing loss. New York will definitely have a shot at bouncing back on Monday.
Injuries seem to have seriously impacted this team. Even though there are only five players listed on the injury report, the absence of Evan Fournier in their last game proved detrimental. Of the five players on the injury report, three of them are listed as questionable for Monday's game. Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, and Kemba Walker could all be available for Monday's match. Whether or not those guys play could be the difference between a solid win or another disappointing defeat.
Final Spurs-Knicks Prediction & Pick
This is kind of a tough decision. San Antonio looked very good in their last game, while New York certainly did not. However, the Knicks could be getting some key contributors back on Monday. Whether or not Evan Fournier plays could prove to be the difference maker here. Regardless, the Spurs have been a gritty team and should be able to keep this close. Pick San Antonio to cover and get ready for what should be some solid basketball.
FINAL SPURS-KNICKS PICK: San Antonio Spurs +6 (-110)
FINAL SPURS-KNICKS SCORE PREDICTION: Spurs 110 – Knicks 107
