Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Knicks vs. Nets: Preview, Betting Trends and Pick
A few weeks ago, this late-season Brooklyn Nets-New York Knicks matchup didn’t look like it would amount to much. The Nets were doing well enough to tread water in the east while the Knicks were out of the playoff hunt. After winning 11 of 14 games, however, the Knicks (32-43) have pulled to within one game of the Atlanta Hawks for the final spot in the East. The Nets too are on a roll, finishing the month of March with a 12-4 record that earned Jason Kidd coach of the month honors. After an embarrassing 10-21 start to the season, the Nets (40-33) have more than rallied behind their first-year head coach.
AccuScore has the Knicks as solid 71.5 percent favorites to win Wednesday night at MSG. The average score after 10,000 simulations is 103-97, with the Knicks having about a 66 percent chance of covering the -2.5 spread. The total combined score went over 196 in 56 percent of simulated games.
Knicks vs Nets: Top Betting Trends
Line: New York -2.5, Total: 197
• In last 13 games, Nets are 12-1 against the spread (ATS) at home, but just 2-4 straight up (SU) and ATS in its last six on the road. The Nets are 17-19 ATS away on the season, but a remarkable 23-14 ATS at home.
• The Nets are 5-11 SU and 8-8 ATS in the second night of a back-to-back this season.
• The road team - in this case the Nets - has won and covered the last three games between these two teams going back to last season.
• At Madison Square Garden, bettors are 5-0 taking the UNDER in the last five meetings between the Nets and Knicks.
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What to Watch For
Joe Johnson has been brutally efficient as of late. He’s averaging 19.1 points per game over his last 10 games, and shooting 44.1 percent from beyond the arc since March 1. Over the past three games, Johnson is shooting a remarkable 64.1 percent from the field. Johnson could have another big night with his size advantage over Iman Shumpert. Johnson is projected to finish with 17 points (46% FG), 4 rebounds, 4 assists.
The total combined score has stayed UNDER for the last three Knicks games - largely due to teams buckling down defensively as the season winds down. The Knicks and Nets are two of the four slowest teams in the league, ranking No. 28 and No. 26, respectively. Expect lots of iso-heavy offensive sets for both teams to along with a high level of defensive intensity. Yes, the Knicks will actually play defense considering how valuable this win can be to their playoff hunt. The Knicks held the Warriors and Jazz to an average of just 83.5 points to finish their recent West Coast road trip.
Carmelo Anthony has historically been pretty, pretty good in the month of April. According to a stat posted over of Buckets Over Broadway, “Anthony has a career average of 27 points per game on a true shooting percentage of 57.7 in April.” He’s second in the league only to Kevin Durant in scoring average at 28 points per game. With a potential playoff berth on the line and no individual defender to contain him, expect Anthony to have one of his special scoring performances. AccuScore projects him to finish with 29 points (45% FG) and 8 rebounds.
Knicks vs Nets Prediction
It's difficult not to side with AccuScore data on this one. The Knicks need the win much more than the Nets and they should play with a greater sense of urgency. Knicks by 6.
AccuScore has 4-star picks across the board on NBA games tonight: so take a look at our NBA Expert Picks
