NBA: New York Knicks vs. LA Lakers Preview, Odds, Prediction

Each time when New York Knicks and LA Lakers meet, the whole basketball world is thrilled. This is one of the biggest rivalries in sports, the clash of two different philosophies, two different lifestyles—East and the West in their purest forms. This match will be even more interesting because there isn’t any room for mistakes on both sides. Both the Knicks and the Lakers are in a very nasty situation regarding their playoff chances, and losing tonight would be a big blow to their ambition to reach the postseason.

Preview

New York Knicks (24-28, +120) lost four of the last five games, and are 3-7 in the past 10 events. This isn’t good at all for their playoff prospects. The Knicks played the previous two meetings at home, winning the one against the Sacramento Kings, 116-96, and losing to the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-108.

Ja and the boys immediately imposed their own tempo, reaching a double-digit lead at halftime and keeping that edge until the end. Even though the Knicks didn’t get outplayed in any particular area, the final result is a reflection of their inferiority in this clash.

Evan Fournier had 30 points for the hosts, hitting eight threes in 12 attempts. RJ Barrett scored 23, while Julius Randle flirted with the triple-double – 18 points, 12 boards, and nine assists. Though, he and Barrett were 2-for-10 for three combined.

LA Lakers (25-28, -105) also have only one triumph in the previous five events. Though they played without LeBron during that stretch and were mostly on the road. To be precise, six of the most recent eight games were on the road.

Technically, the one against the Clippers was on the road too, but we didn’t count it, because Crypto.com is also the home of the Lakers. The LAL lost that event, 111-110, after a very close ending, in which Reggie Jackson delivered a win to the LAC.

Anthony Davis pushed the Lakers with 30 points and 17 boards, but apart from Malik Monk, who had 21 buckets with seven boards and seven assists, he didn’t have some notable help in the attacks. Russell Westbrook did score 17 points and had six rebounds, but on certain occasions, he was only making things worse on the offensive side than actually helping.

Head to Head Games

We saw one H2H game this year already, with the Knicks hosting the Lakers on November 23. The Knicks were better, 106-100. Fournier had 26 points, while Julius Randle had 20 with 16 rebounds. NYK had six players with 10 or more points. On the other side, Westbrook delivered a triple-double with 31 buckets, 13 boards, and 10 assists, while Anthony Davis had 20 points. LeBron didn’t play in this event.

Prediction

The Lakers are playing at home, which is the main reason why we believe in their victory. As seen throughout the entire year, the Knicks’ performances on the road are far, far worse than the at-home, while Lakers significantly play better on the road than away. With or without LBJ, who is still questionable for this event, the LAL have better chances to win. The spread here is -1.5 on the hosts, and we would take it.

Pick: Lakers -1.5