NBA: New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Preview, Odds, Prediction

The battle for New York takes place tonight at Barclays Center, where Nets meet Knicks. The hosts have one loss in the past 13 matches and are on fire. The chemistry between James Harden and Kyrie Irving appeared immediately, and the two superstars are terrorizing the entire league. On the other side, the Knicks are gradually improving, and right now, they sit seventh in the East with 20 wins and 19 losses, with the note that their schedule will become more favorable pretty quickly. Both sides are enthusiastic this season, with things finally heading in a positive direction following years and years filled with frustration.

Preview

New York Knicks (20-19, +270) played away from home four times in the latest five games. The most recent one was in Oklahoma, where they posted a big win over the Thunder, 119-97, with RJ Barrett dominating the court.

The former Duke Blue Devil scored 32 points while shooting 12-for-21 from the field in 36 minutes. Meanwhile, his teammate, and one of the guys who aren’t receiving enough credit, Julius Randle, delivered a triple-double. The big man scored 26 buckets and added 12 boards and assists with two steals. We really need to stress out Randle and all that he’s been doing this year because the media aren’t creating enough hype around this fella.

Immanuel Quickley continued his good performances off the bench, with 21 buckets, and so far this season, the 21-year old has been averaging 12.5 points with 2.4 dimes, and 2.3 rebounds. But what is more important is his energy boost, with the Knicks shifting into a higher gear each time shooting guard appears on the court.

Brooklyn Nets (26-13, -330) are still without Kevin Durant, but that isn’t a problem. With James Harden and Kyrie Irving, plus all the sidekicks, the Nets have enough potential to defeat any team in the league, which was what they were doing in recent times.

Apart from losing to Dallas, they were perfect in the previous 13 events. Since that game against the Mavs, Brooklyn posted four wins in a row, and do you know who was perfect during that stretch? Harden.

He didn’t post a triple-double in just one game, being two assists short of the same. The Beard is on fire, and he really looks different in Brooklyn than in Houston. He’s more relaxed, has more energy, smiling all the time. We truly believe that he needs to be recognized as one of the MVP contenders.

Head to Head Games

The two sides met on January 12, with the Nets winning this event, 116-109. Back then, Brooklyn still didn’t have Harden, and Durant was the top scorer with 26 points. By the way, Irving didn’t play as well.

Prediction

The spread on the Nets is -7.5 and we are down for taking the host to cover that difference. The Knicks have a few players who are out, among them Derrick Rose, and the latest intel are suggesting that Quickley, too, might be unavailable. But even if both of these guys were 100% ready, the Nets would still be absolute favorites. They are a much better unit than the Knicks in all the aspects of play.

Pick: Nets -7.5

 

If you like our preview, here is the link to one more – Kings vs Hornets