The New York Knicks face off against the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this season in The City of Angels. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Knicks-Lakers prediction and pick.
The Knicks currently hold an overall record of 38-30 and are 43-24-1 against the spread. New York is coming off an impressive upset win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers stand at 38-30 and 31-36-1 against the spread. L.A. is coming off an upset over the Phoenix Suns. LeBron James will not be returning for this game as he continues to recover from his ankle injury.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Knicks-Lakers NBA odds.
NBA Odds: Knicks vs. Lakers Odds
New York Knicks +5.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 (-110)
Over 213.5 Points (-110)
Under 213.5 Points (-110)
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
The Knicks hold the best ATS record in the NBA and continue to cash in for bettors. They are 7-3 both straight up and against the spread in their last 10 games.
It's slightly surprising to see the Lakers as such a heavy favorite against a Knicks team that has been in good form. In their last 10 games against teams over .500, L.A. won by more than five points only twice. They lost six of those matchups.
The Lakers' biggest struggle of late has been getting points on the board. They topped their team average of 109.3 points per game (23rd in the NBA) only twice in their last seven matchups.
This is bad news against a Knicks team that is elite on the defensive end. New York is arguably the best defensive team in the NBA, ranking first in scoring defense and holding opponents to the lowest field goal and 3-point percentages over the campaign.
The Knicks absolutely clamped the Clippers in their last matchup, holding Kawhi Leonard and company to their lowest point total in three weeks.
The focus for New York in this game will be getting enough points on the board to keep this competitive. They'll need Julius Randle to have a big game, but also some contribution from the role players.
The Knicks enjoyed a 20-point scorer not named Randle in five of their last six games. Derrick Rose has been particularly sharp, averaging 21.0 points on 64.2% shooting in his last six contests.
In what should be a lower scoring game, New York just needs a solid effort from Randle and one other player to step up to make this game competitive.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread
Los Angeles just covered in two straight games and looked much better than its recent record indicates, even without LeBron James.
The biggest factor in the Lakers' recent success has been the reemergence of Anthony Davis. The Brow was unstoppable in his last two matchups, averaging 39.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on an even 50% shooting from the field.
The Knicks' defense has been excellent, but they've been ravaged by big men lately.Deandre Ayton dropped 26 points in just 29 minutes on New York, and Jokic had 32 points in 29 minutes the game before. It's likely that AD continues his dominant stretch as he continues to find a groove.
On the defensive end, the Lakers have continued to impress. With Davis back anchoring the defense, L.A. has greatly limited opposing offenses.
The Lakers held their opponents below their scoring average in three of their last four matchups. The one time they didn't was when Davis was forced to leave the floor early against the Clippers.
The Los Angeles defense should get a hand from the injury report with the absence of Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley. Quickley is doubtful to play with an ankle injury.
The Knicks will need all the scoring options they have against a Lakers defense that's right on par with their own elite unit.
Final Knicks-Lakers Prediction & Pick
As well as the Lakers have played of late, this is a little too much juice for my taste to back the defending champs, especially with no LeBron. This should be a competitive game throughout, and five and a half points is just too much to give a Knicks team that has shown a penchant to not only cover, but occasionally pull the upset. I like the Lakers to win, but I'll play the Knicks with the points as they should keep this one close.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: LAL 110, NYK 108 (KNICKS +5.5)
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