The New York Knicks look to continue their impressive first half with a win on the road as they take on the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Knicks-Spurs prediction and pick.
This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Knicks have been one of the league's biggest surprise with an 18-17 record. They are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference ahead of teams like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. The ‘Bockers have also won seven of their last 10 games, including the last three. Their most recent win came against the lackluster Detroit Pistons on the road.
The Spurs, on the other hand, played Monday night and lost a tough one in overtime to the Brooklyn Nets. San Antonio is 6-4 in their last 10 games and are currently sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 17-13. The Spurs will once again be shorthanded as they are missing three key pieces ahead of the game.
NBA Odds: Spurs-Knicks Odds
New York Knicks -2 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs +2 (-110)
Over 215.5 (-115)
Under 215.5 (-105)
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The Spurs have played well this season. However, following a small 10-day break due to COVID-19 protocols, they have dropped two of their previous three outings.
The Spurs have been an incredibly balanced team offensively, led by DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray. DeRozan leads the team with 20.3 points and 7.2 assists per game. They have been getting consistent strong play off the bench from Patty Mills, while Lonnie Walker has been playing better as of late.
San Antonio's defense has also again become very dependable, sitting 11th in terms of defensive rating. They should benefit in the frontcourt with the Knicks missing center Mitchell Robinson, so they should be able to dominate the glass with Jakob Poeltl and Trey Lyles.
Gregg Popovich's squad, however, will be missing Rudy Gay and Derrick White again due to health and safety protocols. LaMarcus Aldridge will also be sidelined for the game.
The Spurs showed their grit and determination in Monday's game against the Nets. Despite losing in overtime, they battled with a lot of heart and came back late in the fourth quarter to set up the extended clash.
DeRozan and Murray will once again be asked to carry the load, something they have done for most of the season.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
Following their blowout win over the Pistons, the Knicks finished the month 9-5 straight up and 10-4 against the spread. Now that the calendar has rolled over to March, New York looks to stay hot and improve on their three-game winning streak. They are also 7-2 against the spread over their last nine games.
The Knicks have been getting MVP-level of play out of power forward, Julius Randle who leads the team in both points (23.4) and rebounds (10.9) per game. The addition of Derrick Rose gives the team a true point guard, as they have gone 7-3 since his return to the Mecca of basketball.
The stat the jumps out at you when looking at the Knicks' first half of the season is that they sit second in the league with a defensive rating of 108.1.
The Knicks should be able to use their depth and defensive prowess to beat up on the shorthanded Spurs team.
Look for role players Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks to take advantage of a Spurs bench that has been reduced to a bunch of no-names.
Final Spurs-Knicks Prediction & Pick
The Knicks are the healthier team and a more well-rounded squad than the Spurs. Randle should feast on the glass and in the paint with Aldridge out for the game. The undermanned Spurs are going to be exhausted after their overtime loss and will have a tough time containing Randle and sophomore R.J. Barrett
The OVER of 215.5 is right around where I think the score will be, so you should be in a good position to take the total to go over.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: NYK 111, SA 105 (NYK -2)
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