Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks Prediction, NBA Odds
Two of the NBA’s best teams, the Knicks and defending champion Thunder, face off at Madison Square Garden Wednesday in the first of two meetings this month.
New York has won five of its last six games and sits 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics for second in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks won for the fifth time in their last six road games with a 111-95 triumph over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 10 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds as New York overcame 17 turnovers to become the third team to 40 wins in the East.
However, everyone is chasing the Thunder again. The reigning champs struggled for two months, but have won three straight and six of their last seven, including a 116-108 victory over Chicago without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday.
OKC is a 4.5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with the total set at 222.5.
Thunder vs. Knicks NBA Betting Odds
New York is a league-best 20-11 against the spread at home. This is just the third time all season they’ve been a home dog. They are 2-0 ATS in those rare situations.
The Thunder have won four straight and seven of their last eight against New York. They are 10-3 straight up in their last 13 trips to MSG.
These teams have played to the over in six of their last seven meetings. Gilgeous-Alexander is expected back in the lineup after managing an abdominal strain that sidelined him for all but three games in February. He is averaging 32.6 points over his last 11 games.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Injuries have been a constant annoyance for OKC, but there is no doubt the club experienced the midseason doldrums. After starting 24-1, the Thunder went just 16-12 over their next 28 games.
With the postseason in sight, the team is now sitting up straight and paying attention, posting wins in eight of its last 10 contests. The Thunder will face their usual challenges emerging from the deep Western Conference, but it also wants to remind the best of the East what they could be in for in the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City still has five games against the Pistons, Celtics and Knicks, all this month. The Thunder dropped a 124-116 decision in Detroit last week, so a win on Wednesday would serve as a reminder that they aren’t going anywhere.
SGA is expected back in the lineup. He averaged 36 points in two wins over the Knicks last season.
New York Knicks
If the league is to take the Knicks seriously as a title threat, knocking off the defending champs at home is a must.
It’s one thing to beat the Raptors, a solid Eastern Conference opponent, 12 straight times. It’s quite another to knock off the Thunder, who are an NBA-best 23-8 away from home this season.
New York is relatively healthy. Valuable reserve guard Deuce McBride (12.9 ppg in 35 games) is out until the playoffs after surgery for a core muscle injury, but the team’s powerful trio of Brunson, Towns and OG Anunoby is healthy.
NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Thunder vs. Knicks?
It’s never a bad thing to see a New York team lose, but this Knicks team is so close. After getting past the Celtics and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, they are poised to make a run at Boston and Detroit for conference supremacy this Spring.
But if New York is to reach its first NBA Finals in 27 years, let alone win for the first time since 1973, they’ll most likely have to get past OKC. Tonight is their first chance to show SGA and his teammates what they could be in for.
Look for the Knicks to post the mild upset and win at home, 116-113.
OKC
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