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

Can it be better for the NBA fans than watching the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets? That is the matchup of the day for many in the NBA community. We’re going to see who runs the Big Apple in this one, as the Knicks have a massive motive to claim back the city from the Nets who took it over in the past few years. The Nets once again lost to a title-contender at home, which is why their fans are becoming a little bit frustrated. As for the Knicks, they are still searching for consistency, although, coming into this event after a victory.

Preview

New York Knicks (11-9, +207) defeated the Atlanta Hawks two days ago, and they are now looking for a way to surprise the big rivals and take another W. It would be the first time since late October for the Knicks to have back to back triumphs, which is a pretty disturbing fact for one playoff contender.

NYK won in Atlanta, 99-90, posting one of the best last-period defenses this year, limiting the hosts to only 14 points during the final 12 minutes. Though, they were pretty safe up until the start of the fourth, leading 11 points.

Alec Burks was in the starting lineup, and he ended the night with 23 points in 39 minutes, adding seven boards. He and Evan Fournier scored four threes each, with the note that the French international finished the contest with 20 buckets. RJ Barrett scored 15 and Obi Toppin 13 off the bench. Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle did the dirty work, with 11 boards apiece.

Brooklyn Nets (14-6, -250) are coming off a home loss against the Suns, 113-107. Even though they still hold the top spot in the conference, the fans are becoming more and more nervous because of frequent defeats against the title rivals. Brooklyn already recorded failures against the Bucks, Heat, Warriors, and now Suns.

The Nets were shooting 50% from the field in this game, but managed to hit miserable seven three-pointers during 48 minutes, and with such low output, you simply can’t beat the big dogs. That is equal to Steph Curry’s productivity on his better nights.

Kevin Durant scored 39 points with nine boards and seven assists, plus four steals. Again, the problem was James Harden, who did post a triple-double 12 points, 14 assists, and 13 boards, but shot 4-for-15 from the field without hitting at least one three-pointer. Deandre Bembry and LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points each.

Head to Head

This will be the 203rd game between these two sides. So far, the record is tied 101 wins on both ends. This is the first meeting in the 2021/22 campaign. The Nets won in all three last year.

Prediction

The moneyline on the home team isn’t that bad when looking at the overall situation. Despite losing to the Suns, the Nets have an excellent chance to bounce back because NYK is one very unstable team, without a possibility to play high-scoring games, which is Brooklyn’s style of play. Our money is on the hosts here because they need to erase the recent loss, especially due to the home-court advantage.

Pick: Nets win

Here is the preview for the game between the Grizzlies and the Raptors.