The L.A. Clippers will pay a visit to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks in a 1 P.M. E.T. tip-off on Sunday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Clippers-Knicks prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
The L.A. Clippers are coming off a thrilling 102-101 come from behind win over their former coach Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Led by Reggie Jackson's 19 points and Nicolas Batum's 15, seven Clippers players scored in double-figures. The win gave L.A. its second win in three games, with the defeat being a heartbreaking 2-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have lost three straight games, the most recent being a 102-91 embarrassing home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. New York gave up a 35-15 third quarter and trailed by as much as 25 points early in the fourth. This three-game stretch has to two games below .500 and the 11th seed in the East.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Clippers–Knicks NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA odds: Clippers–Knicks Odds
L.A. Clippers: +4 (-110)
New York Knicks: -4 (-110)
Over: 205.5 (-112)
Under: 205.5 (-108)
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
On paper, the L.A. Clippers appear as the underdogs for this one simply because they are missing their two star players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Aside from Kawhi and PG13, no other notable Clippers are on the injury list for Sunday's afternoon game.
As they've shown over their last three outings, L.A. has proven to be resilient despite missing its franchise stars. Different guys step up each game. Ivica Zubac had his career night and dropped 32 points against the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Reggie Jackson contributed 28 in that same outing and also top-scored for them against Philly. Nicolas Batum erupted for 32 points out of nowhere against the Indiana Pacers earlier this week. Likewise, they also have nights where everybody contributes, such as they did against MVP candidate Joel Embiid and the Sixers.
With Leonard and George out indefinitely, this is the kind of approach the Clippers will need to maintain their standing as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. There is also a possibility that both of them may not suit up anymore this year. But from the way they've been playing over the past games, it doesn't seem like L.A. intends to go into tank mode anytime soon. They're carrying a lot of momentum over their last three games and could be motivated to show out in front of the raucous Garden crowd.
The Clippers are still below .500 with a 23-24 mark. They have also played better against Eastern Conference teams with a 10-4 record this season. Against the spread, L.A. is just 21-24.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
As mentioned, the Knicks are going through a rough patch right now with a 3-game losing skid. It was certainly shameful to see them go down by as much as 25 points to a team like the Pelicans, who are still missing Zion Williamson. Julius Randle had another brutal outing, scoring just four points on 1-of-9 shooting against his former squad.
In some good news, New York fans will finally get to see Cam Reddish make his Knicks debut since coming over from the Atlanta Hawks over a week ago. Nerlens Noel is also listed as questionable due to left knee soreness. However, they are still without Derrick Rose as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. New York will also be without Ryan Arcidiacono, whom they recently signed to a second 10-day deal.
There isn't a lot to be excited about being a Knicks fan these days. They have taken a major step back from the progress they made a year ago and could be in peril of even missing the play-in tournament. Perhaps Cam Reddish's debut could energize them and give them a much-needed jolt on both ends of the floor. If he does that, it shouldn't take long for the New York faithful to get behind him.
The Knicks are 22-24 overall this season and have the same record against the spread. Against non-conference teams, they are at 8-6.
Final Clippers–Knicks Prediction And Pick
This could be a close outing, but it's safer to go with the Clippers to take the win here. They've been playing much better, and more importantly, much harder over the last week. Despite missing Leonard and George, other guys stepped up and contributed across the board in their absence. This team just has more of an established culture of next man up that's easier to trust in this match-up.
On the flip side, it's simply hard to get behind the Knicks on this one because of the way they've been playing lethargically and out of sorts as of late. The team can still turn it around with half a season still to go. But they'll need to make it happen soon, or their hopes of making the playoffs will slip away fast.
Final Clippers–Knicks Prediction & Pick: Clippers: +4 (-110)
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