The struggling New York Knicks will try to enter the All-Star break on a winning note when they host the new-look Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Since winning three straight Jan. 10-15, the Knicks (25-33) are 3-12 in their past 15 games and sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Hawks for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Meanwhile, the Nets (30-27), who sent James Harden to Philadelphia last week in a blockbuster trade, are in eighth place in the East. On Monday they ended an 11-game losing streak with a 109-85 win over Sacramento.
Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. ET. New York is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Knicks vs. Nets odds from Caesars Sportsbook while the Over/Under is 215.5. Before making any Nets vs. Knicks picks or NBA predictions, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s NBA expert Mike Barner.
Barner is one of the most respected voices in the industry, and his work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He’s also been featured on ESPN Radio. He digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes. If there’s anybody who can spot an edge in a matchup or identify a player in position to break out, it’s him.
He also has a keen eye for the Nets. In his last 33 NBA picks involving Brooklyn, Barner is an outstanding 24-9 (+1410). Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Barner has set his sights on Knicks vs. Nets, and just locked in his picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Barner’s picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Nets vs. Knicks:
- Knicks vs. Nets spread: New York -4.5
- Knicks vs. Nets over-under: 215.5 points
- Knicks vs. Nets money line: New York -200, Brooklyn +170
- NYK: Julius Randle is averaging 29.3 points over his last six games
- BKN: Patty Mills ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-pointers per game (3.2)
Featured Game | New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets
Why the Knicks can cover
Randle is on a roll as over his last six games, he is averaging 29.3 points and 12.3 rebounds a game. On Monday against Oklahoma City, Randle finished with a triple-double (30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists). He has had a double-double in his last four games and six out of his last seven.
In addition, rookie Quentin Grimes has shown promise recently. In his last two games, the 6-foot-4 guard from Houston scored 20 points against Portland and 19 against Oklahoma City. And last week against Golden State, coach Tom Thibodeau showed confidence in Grimes by assigning him to guard Steph Curry who was held to 31.3 percent shooting on 3P attempts.
Why the Nets can cover
The newly acquired Andre Drummond adds a defensive element to the paint that Brooklyn has been lacking for much of the season. Despite averaging just 19 minutes per game this season, he’s averaged 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks. In Monday’s victory over Sacramento, Drummond had nine rebounds, two steals and one block in 24 minutes and anchored a defense that limited the Kings to a paltry 34.4 percent shooting from the field.
In addition, the Nets have dominated the recent series against their crosstown rival. Brooklyn is 9-3 in the past 12 meetings against the Knicks. That includes a 112-110 win in Brooklyn on Nov. 30.
How to make Knicks vs. Nets picks
For Nets vs. Knicks, Barner is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side of the Knicks vs. Nets spread to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Nets vs. Knicks? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Knicks vs. Nets spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who’s crushed his NBA picks, and find out.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism