Posts Tagged ‘New York Knicks’
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
May 3, 2013 | 
Author The New York Knicks return home looking to close out the series against the Boston Celtics in Game 5 from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are -8 point favorites over the Celtics with an over/under point total set at 180.
Head to head, the Celtics are 19-9 ATS in the last 28 meetings in New York and 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings while the road team is 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings. The Knicks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400, 47-22 ATS in their last 69 home games and 22-8 ATS in their last 30 games overall. The Celtics on the other hand are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. win and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
It’s pretty safe to say that If J.R. Smith wasn’t out for Game 4, this series would be over already. Smith was suspended one game for elbowing Jason Terry in the chin late in Game 3 which resulted in the Knicks being without their No. 2 scorer in their 97-90 overtime loss in Game 4 for on Sunday. Without Smith, New York struggled on the offensive end, shooting just 34% from the field, which included going 7-30 from beyond the arc. Even with their struggles, the Knicks managed to force overtime thanks to a big second half comeback led by Carmelo Anthony’s 36 points, but it wasn’t enough to get them the series sweep they were after.
This is indeed another elimination game for the Boston Celtics tonight, but it’s just as important to the Knicks, who don’t want to head back to Boston for a Game 6. Carmelo Anthony said as much “We want to end it. We came this far, did our job at home first two games, did our job on the road, got one on the road. We’ve got the opportunity to end it here on our home court.”
At the end of the day, the Celtics just can’t score enough points without Rajon Rondo as they have finished with 78 points or less in three of their four games in this series. Not only that, in each of their four games, they have played a half where they have scored under 30 points. New York has dominated this series from the get-go and I like them to finish things tonight.
Pick
New York Knicks -8 Boston Celtics
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks look to make it two straight against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 from Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Knicks are -6.5 point favorites over the Celtics with an over/under point total set at 185.
Head to head, the Celtics are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings in New York while the road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Knicks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400, 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games overall but just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Celtics on the other hand are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 2 days rest, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600 and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. loss.
Thanks to 36 points from Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks pulled away late on Saturday to record an 85-78 victory over the Boston Celtics in their playoff opener. The league’s leading scorer had 10 of New York’s first 12 points of the game, however, he struggled from there on out before scoring eight pivotal fourth quarter points as the Knicks outscored the visitors 18-8 in the final term. Jeff Green led the way for Boston with 26 points while Paul Pierce added 21 for a Celtics team that committed 21 turnovers, which led to 20 points for the home team. Boston committed eight of those turnovers in the fourth quarter where they shot just 3-11 from the field.
I like the Celtics here for a couple of reasons. When you look back at Game 1, Boston actually led heading into the fourth quarter until they gave the ball away just about every possession. The Knicks were feisty on defense, but I don’t think we are going to see another 20 turnovers for the guys in Green tonight. While getting 26 points from Jeff Green was definitely a bonus, the bench trio of Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Jordan Crawford combined for just four points, which obviously needs to change if the Celtics plan on taking this game.
I expect New York to play better than they did in Game 1, but I just think the Knicks bounce back and make a real game of this. New York probably wins, but this one is going down to the wire.
Pick
Boston Celtics +6.5 New York Knicks
New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers
The red hot New York Knicks host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are -4.5 point favorites over the Pacers with an over/under point total set at 192.
Head to head, the Pacers are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings and 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in New York while the underdog is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings. The Knicks are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, 44-21 ATS in their last 65 home games and 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games overall. The Pacers on the other hand are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600, 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
There’s no hotter team than the New York Knicks at the moment. Despite injuries to virtually their entire front court, the Knicks have won 14 of their last 15 games and as a result can clinch the second seed in the East with a win over the Indiana Pacers today. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith have been the catalysts for New York’s surge, which saw them win 13 straight games as the pair had combined to average 57.2 points over the last 15 games.
Unlike New York, the Pacers haven’t been playing their best basketball lately, losers of three of their last four. It’s been a strange turnaround for an Indiana team they just recently returned from a four-game Western road trip which saw them sweep all four games against the likes of Houston, Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers. Yet, the Pacers have looked like a completely different team this past week and a bit, getting blown out by Oklahoma City and Washington, while needing a 35-10 final quarter to get over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.
There’s no doubting the Knicks are the hotter team in this one, but I don’t think that’s enough to take them here for a couple of reasons. For one, the Pacers have won three of the last four meetings, granted they were all at home, and let’s not forget that New York is missing their entire front court. Now that hasn’t mattered in previous games, but Indiana has plenty of size down low, which could pose a problem. If New York is hitting from downtown then this one could get ugly, but I see Indiana showing up for this one, just like they did on their recent road trip.
Pick
Indiana Pacers +4.5 New York Knicks
New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls
Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks invade Chicago on Thursday going for their 14th straight win. The Knicks are -3.5 point favorites over the Bulls with an over/under point total set at 190.
Head to head, the Knicks are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings while the underdog is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings. The Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, but just 12-27 ATS in their last 39 home games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Knicks on the other hand are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, 7-0 ATS in their last 7 road games and 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games overall
Before we get to New York, lets touch on Chicago’s ineptitude to cover the spread at home this season. With the Bulls recent loss to Toronto on Tuesday and their close encounters with Orlando and Detroit, they are now just an abysmal 12-27 against the spread at the United Center this season, which is easily the worst mark in the league. Admittedly, Chicago has been hit hard by injuries lately, but they have struggled to cover the spread all season long when it comes to playing in front of their home crowd for whatever reason.
The Knicks come into tonight’s game winners of 13 straight games and they have the hottest player in the league in Carmelo Anthony, who recently went past Kevin Durant as the leagues leading scorer. What’s more impressive than New York’s recent win streak has to be their against the spread stats, which are just off the charts. The Knicks are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games and they have covered in 17 of their last 21 games just to name a few.
I’m really quite shocked there is a line out for this game considering all of the players that are questionable for tonight’s game. While Joakim Noah has been ruled out, Luol Deng and Taj Gibson status’s are still up in the air. For New York, they virtually have every front court player missing, headlined by Tyson Chandler who is dealing with a bulging disc in his neck.
I just can’t take Chicago here given how bad they have been at covering the number at home this season. While New York is really thin up front, that didn’t matter when they torched the Wizards on Tuesday for 120 points, which included a whopping 20 made three-pointers. The Bulls have it in them and this almost seems to easy, but I ain’t betting against Carmelo Anthony right now.
Pick
New York Knicks -3.5 Chicago Bulls
Posted in NBA, Sportsbook | 
Tags: 2011 NCAA Southwest Region, NBA betting, New York Knicks | 
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New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Bobcats
The New York Knicks go for their seventh straight win on Friday night as they host the improving Charlotte Bobcats from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are -13.5 point favorites over the Bobcats with an over/under point total set at 199.
Head to head, the Bobcats are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in New York while the road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings and the underdog is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings. The Knicks are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400, 6-0 ATS in their last 6 vs. Eastern Conference and 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Bobcats on the other hand are 6-22-1 ATS in their last 29 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600, 5-17 ATS in their last 22 games following a S.U. win and 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 road games.
With Miami and Denver’s massive winning streaks coming to an end this week, the New York Knicks suddenly find themselves as the new owners of the NBA’s longest winning streak at six games following their 108-101 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Knicks have been crushing teams during their streak with an average winning margin of 12 points per game and they actually led the Grizzlies by as many as 30 points at one stage before the letting them come back in the fourth quarter. The Charlotte Bobcats come into tonight’s match in some decent form, having won four of eight after defeating the Orlando Magic at home on Wednesday despite trailing by 19 points at quarter time.
As I just touched on, the Bobcats have won four of eight, but all of those wins have come at home. Charlotte has been just horrible on the road this season and come into tonight’s game having dropped eight straight away from home by an average of 23.3 points per game. Just to put it into perspective how bad they have been on the road recently, each of their eight losses have come by 14 points or greater and that includes losses in Toronto, Washington and Sacramento.
Given how hot the Knicks are at the moment and the fact that the Bobcats can’t get within 15 points of anyone away from home, this is a no-brainer pick, it’s that simple.
Pick
New York Knicks -13.5 Charlotte Bobcats
New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder battle it in on a light NBA Thursday card. The Thunder are -6 point favorites over the Knicks.
Despite the absence of Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks managed to take down the Detroit Pistons last night, winning 87-77 in Detroit. Raymond Felton led the way with a game high 26 points while Amare Stoudamire and J.R. Smith added 22 and 20 points off the bench, respectively. In what was a back and forth contest, New York took control in the final quarter as they outscored the home team 22-12 in the final term to run away with the victory. The Knicks have now won five of their last six but may be without Carmelo Anthony for tonight’s game as he is dealing with a knee injury.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their dominance at home with an impressive 122-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night to improve to 27-4 at Chesapeake Arena this season. While the Thunder have been absolutely lights at home, their play on the road has slipped recently and even though they are coming off a 108-104 win in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Sunday, that was just their first road win in their last four attempts. Oklahoma City has also struggled against the spread away from home, going just 14-13-2 ATS in their 29 road games to date.
It doesn’t look like Carmelo Anthony is going to play tonight, which is a shame. However, this could be a blessing in disguise for all the New York backers out there because you often see teams rise to the occasion without their star player, which could very well happen tonight. As I touched on earlier, the Thunder have dropped three of four on the road, so it’s not like they have been all that great away from home anyway. Look for the guys that played well against the Pistons to pickup the slack again and lead this Knicks team to the cover.
Pick
New York Knicks +6 Oklahoma City Thunder
Posted in NBA, Sportsbook | Tags: NBA betting, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder | No Comments »
Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks head to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards on Friday night. The Knicks are -3 point favorites over the Wizards with an over/under total set at 199.
Head to head, the Knicks are 16-5 ATS in the last 21 meetings while the home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. The Wizards are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, 11-3 ATS in their last 14 home games and 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games overall. The Knicks on the other hand are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400, but just 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 0-7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
The Washington Wizards come into tonight’s showdown with an 18-38 overall record, but don’t let that fool you as they are an impressive 34-20-2 against the spread on the season. In comparison, the New York Knicks are currently sitting at 34-20 straight up, but they are just 25-27-2 against the spread. The Wizards have covered in 20 of their last 27 games while the Knicks haven’t covered the number in any of their last eight contests.
The season series is currently tied at one game apiece with each team winning on their home court. The Knicks cruised to an easy 108-87 victory back at the end of November thanks to 20 points apiece from Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. In their second meeting, which was back on the 6th of February, the Wizards outscored New York 36-23 in the final term to record a 106-96 come from behind win, led by 21 points and nine assists from John Wall.
Washington may be coming off a home loss to the Detroit Pistons in their last outing, but this is a team that constantly plays down to weaker competition, as evidenced by recent losses to Sacramento and Toronto. However, when they play some of the better competition in the league they generally come out on top with recent home wins over Houston, Denver, Brooklyn, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and of course tonight’s opponent in New York. The Wizards have been a covering machine and I see no reason to jump off them tonight.
Pick
Washington Wizards +3 New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks
Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks collide with the improving Toronto Raptors on Wednesday from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are -9 point favorites over the Raptors with an over/under point total set at 197.5.
Head to head, the Raptors are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in New York, while the underdog is 11-3 ATS in the last 14 meetings and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Knicks are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record, 18-7-2 ATS in their last 27 games following a S.U. loss and 36-16 ATS in their last 52 home games. The Raptors on the other hand are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games and 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 0 days rest, but just 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Carmelo Anthony has been red hot lately, but that hasn’t resulted in wins as the Knicks have dropped two of three following their five-game winning streak. Anthony, who is tied with Kevin Durant for the scoring lead at 29 points per game, has upped his averages to 36.3 points on 49.3% shooting over his last three games that have only resulted in one win against the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves.
Meanwhile, the Raptors have won three straight and four of six since Rudy Gay was traded from Memphis just over a week ago. Toronto is coming off a 109-108 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets last night thanks to a jumper by their newest addition in the closing seconds. Gay is now averaging 22.3 per game in six games with his new team after scoring 17.2 points with the Grizzlies.
It’s pretty hard to look past the Raptors here getting nearly double digits. Toronto is probably a playoff team with Gay in the lineup and even though they are coming off a big win at home last night, they are 13-3 against the spread in their last 16 games with zero days rest. New York is no stranger to the old home blowout, but I just don’t see it here.
Pick
Toronto Raptors +9 New York Knicks
New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets square off on Martin Luther King Day from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are -3.5 point favorites over the Nets with an over/under point total set at 193.5.
The Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 3 or more days rest and 32-13 ATS in their last 45 home games, but just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. The Nets on the other hand are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600 and 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 vs. Eastern Conference.
While the Brooklyn Nets are in good form, it’s hard to look past the home team in this one. After a tough stretch, which included five losses in seven games, the New York Knicks look they are back on track with consecutive double digit wins over New Orleans and Detroit, with the latter coming in London on Thursday. Raymond Felton continues to watch from the sidelines, but New York got one of their key pieces back on their trip to London as Iman Shumpert made his season debut and had eight points after being out due to a torn ACL. On the flipside, Brooklyn comes into tonight’s showdown having won eight of nine and looks like a completely different team under P.J. Carlesimo.
We are not even three months into the season, yet the Knicks and Nets have already squared off against each other three times, with New York holding a 2-1 edge in the series. Brooklyn managed to nab the first meeting of the season at home, winning 96-89 in overtime, however since then, it’s been all the Knicks. While the second contest was decided on a controversial four-point play by Jason Kidd, New York ran away with the most recent meeting at home leading up to Christmas, outscoring the visitors by 10 in the second half to cruise to a 100-86 win.
With the Knicks being just 3.5 point favorites, it just shows you how much the Nets have improved since firing Avery Johnson. While you would expect the public to be all over New York here, I think it’s the right play. Carmelo Anthony just seems to rise to another level in these showdowns against Brooklyn and I think he is the difference here once again.
Pick
New York Knicks -3.5 Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
The New York Knicks are facing elimination as the Knicks are down three games to one to the Miami Heat heading into Wednesday night’s contest. The Heat are -11 point favorites over the Knicks with an over/under point total set at 183.5.
The Miami Heat have been among the favorites all season long to win the title, and rightfully so as looking up and down the Heat roster Miami has elite talent. The Heat are among the best in the league on both ends of the court as Miami is scoring an average of 98.5 points per game, while giving up just 92.5 points per game on average. The Miami Heat were in position to sweep the New York Knicks last time out, however New York found a way on their home court, defeating Miami 89-87.
The New York Knicks will honestly need nothing short of a miracle to fight back from three games to one against the Heat, but if the Knicks are going to do it, it will start on Wednesday night. The Knicks, like the Heat, play a very balanced game, New York just doesn’t put up the kind of numbers routinely like Miami does. The Knicks are scoring an average of 97.8 points per game on the year, while giving up an average of 94.7 points per game to opponents.
The total has gone under in nine of the last ten games for the Heat. The total has also gone under for Miami in six of their last seven home games. The Knicks have also gone under the total in four of their last five games.
All the trends here are pointing towards the under, but looking at the projection I think the odds makers have it about right. The value here looks to be with the Knicks as I do like the Heat to eliminate the Knicks, I just don’t see Miami winning by double digits, even at home.
Pick
New York Knicks +11 Miami Heat
