The biggest game of the evening kicks off in LA, as the Lakers take on the Knicks. Their last matchup ended with a Lakers victory, but a lot has changed since then. The Lakers have been on a complete tear, winning seven straight. With the Knicks still banged up, they’ll have their work cut out to steal this game on the road.
Precious Achiuwas Questionable
Mitchell Robinson Questionable
OG Anunoby Questionable
Jordan Goodwin Out
Markieff Morris Out
Austin Reaves Probable
LeBron James Probable
Luka Doncic Probable
Rui Machimura Questionable
Maxi Kleber Out
The Lakers have been the darling of the post-All-Star stretch. They have been dominant, winning games left and right. The combination of Luka, LeBron, and Reaves has become one of the best-scoring trios we’ve seen all year. It’s nearly impossible to cover all three. However, tonight will be a true test of what this team is made of.
This will only be the second top-tier team they’ve faced with Luka. They managed to beat the Nuggets in Denver handily, but we’ll see. With Karl Anthony Towns back, the Knicks can be a feisty team.
The Knicks, in general, have been a solid group. They beat the teams they should but struggle to take out top-tier opponents. They’ve still managed to pull themselves to the third seed in the East, but tonight will be a challenge.
The Knicks need to improve their defense to have a chance in this game. The wings will have to focus primarily on defense tonight, going against LeBron. If they can at least force LeBron out of the paint, they’ll have a chance at staying in this one.
Where the Knicks should have the advantage is down low. With Towns back tonight, they’ll have their second-best scoring option and the depth they need on this starting roster. Mitchell Robinson or Precious Achiuwas aren’t the answer at the 5.
All the Lakers need to do is not shoot themselves out of this game. With the scoring on the floor, they need to focus on getting high-quality shots over hucking threes. They should be able to attack Brunson on the perimeter all game. The tandem of Reaves and Luka will make it almost impossible for the Knicks to cover Brunson on defense.
Overall, the Lakers should be the ones to take this one. They have the scoring talent, the homecourt advantage, and the momentum. The Knicks should be able to keep it close, but this group might be too much for this middle of the road defense.
Money line: NYK (+136) / LAL (-162)
Total Points: 230.5
Spread: +3.5 NYK (-115) / -3.5 LAL (-105)
The Lakers have the stronger group tonight. They've been tearing through teams even with some injuries holding guys out. Now that they'll likely have their main three options back it will be hard for the Knicks to keep up.
This should be an easy under. Neither of these teams has been putting up massive scores beyond some blowouts against bad teams. Both LA and New York have been in the 109 range for their scores, leaving plenty of headroom on this 230.5 line.
The Knicks have been solid this year but have struggled against the top-tier teams. However, with a 3.5 spread, they look like a safe bet. The money line is a little more tempting this one, but the spread bet isn’t bad at all.
Luka has had a few solid scoring nights lately, dropping 29 and 30 over the last couple of games. However, with LeBron and Reaves in tonight, I think the scoring will be a little more spread out. I still expect Luka to easily be in the 20s, but under 29 points looks strong tonight.
Guess which team LeBron had a Triple Double against… The Knicks in MSG, so with a +600 line, this is a fun long shot that has some teeth. We all know LeBron pulls out all the stops when playing New York. This man will be everywhere tonight.
Josh Hart has been the Swiss Army Knife of the Knicks. He’s the do-it-all type of guy they needed. However, his rebounding total set at 9.5 is a bit too high. He has been doing excellent rebounding this season, but a lot will have to go right for him to hit this line. Sticking with the under looks solid tonight, especially with Towns returning.
Reaves has become a much more efficient passer with the addition of Luka. He’s upped his assists almost every game playing next to him. With his average assist for the year already at 6 a game, the 4.5 line feels generous. I like this line a lot.