NBA: Phoenix Suns vs New York Knicks Preview, Odds, Prediction

We have one highly interesting matchup in New York where the Knicks host the Phoenix Suns. The guests from Arizona are in one hell of a shape with 14 consecutive victories, while on the other side, the Knicks are inconsistent but still in the positive zone. The Suns’ offense is one of the best in the league, and it will present a very good test for Tom Thibodeau’s guys who are playing rough defense, especially at Madison.

Preview

Phoenix Suns (15-3, -145) are on a trip through the East, and are located in New York, where they meet the Nets following this matchup. Previously, Monty Williams’ unit played in San Antonio and Cleveland, winning these games after an intense battle. The hosts were constantly breathing down Phoenix’s neck, but Chris Paul controlled the situation on the court, not allowing the Suns to confuse or anything.

We saw them breaking the Cavs in the final few minutes to earn a 120-115 victory, with Devin Booker dropping 35 points, while shooting 14-for-21. Overall, the entire Suns’ team shot well, 52.3% from the field, even though they only hit eight threes in 22 tries.

Paul added 17 points and 12 assists, while Deandre Ayton added 16 with nine boards. Cameron Johnson scored 14 off the bench, and JaVale McGee posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards.

New York Knicks (10-8, +130) have subsequent wins and losses in the last six games, which isn’t good considering that most events took place at Madison. The rough schedule is yet to hit the Knicks, which is why it’s imperative for them to post good results in future home matches.

A win over the LA Lakers might boost the morale a little bit. The Knicks triumphed vs. big rivals from the West, 106-100. The key to a win was the first-quarter rush that saw the hosts taking that part of the game in their favor, 36-20. Knicks’ defense once again proved why it is one of the best in the league in decreasing the rival’s shooting percentage. The Lakers hit only 37.4% of their shots, and that was the difference-maker in this case.

As for the individual performances, Evan Fournier had a team-high 26 points, hitting six threes. At the same time, Julius Randle scored 20 with 16 assists and five assists, posting an excellent performance against his old team. The bench was good as well, with Immanuel Quickley adding 14 and Alec Burks and Obi Toppin 12 points each.

Head to Head

The Suns currently have six straight wins over the Knicks, and in both games last year, they didn’t have any trouble in taking down the rivals and securing triumphs.

Prediction

With the Suns in such form, it would be ludacris to bet on anything else but their win here. After two very tight matches, we expect them to keep playing at the same level and cover the -3-point spread. The odds on that are -110, and from our perspective, it is worth trying. We respect the Knicks, but we simply have to back up a team with 14 consecutive victories.

Pick: Suns -3