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The Brooklyn Nets will face the New York Knicks on Friday. It’s a cross-town showdown at the Garden as we share our NBA cup odds series while making a Nets-Knicks prediction and pick.
On Wednesday, the Nets lost 139-114 to the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Knicks fell short against the Chicago Bulls, losing 124-123 in front of a stunned crowd at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks swept the Nets last season. In fact, they have beaten the Nets in six straight games. The Knicks are 6-4 over the past 10 games against the Nets.
Here are the Nets-Knicks NBA Cup odds, courtesy of FanDuel.Â
NBA Cup Odds: Nets-Knicks Odds
Brooklyn Nets: +11 (-112)
Moneyline: +410
New York Knicks: -11 (-108)
Moneyline: -550
Over: 216.5 (-110)
Under: 216.5 (-110)
How To Watch Nets vs. Knicks
Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT
TV: YES Network and MSG
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Nets Could Cover the Spread/Win
Jordi Fernandez ripped his team after a horrendous performance against the Celtics. Ultimately, the loss dropped the Nets to 5-7. This has still been a better start than many anticipated.
Scoring has been inconsistent. The Nets are 17th in points and 19th in field-goal shooting percentage, including 13th from beyond the arc. Yet, they are solid at the charity stripe, ranking seventh in free-throw shooting percentage. The Nets are awful on the boards, ranking last in rebounds. Also, they struggle on the defensive end, ranking 28th in blocked shots. The Nets are inconsistent with the basketball, ranking 14th in turnovers.
Cam Thomas is their leader, averaging 23.8 points per game. Yet, his shooting can stand to improve, as he is shooting only 43.5 percent from the floor. Dennis Schroeder has been solid, averaging 19.3 points per game. Additionally, he has done well in shooting the basketball, hitting 49.1 percent of his shots.
Cameron Johnson has been great. So far, he is averaging 16.5 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the hardwood. Dorian Finney-Smith has been a good contributor, averaging 10 points per game. However, he must do more as a secondary option for the Nets against this New York defense.
The Nets will cover the spread if they can win the board battle and garner second chances. Then, they must contain all the top stars of this Knicks’ offense.
Why the Knicks Could Cover the Spread/Win
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Jalen Brunson was speechless after missing the game-winning shot against the Bulls. Sadly, the loss dropped the Knicks to 5-6, in what has been a disappointing start to the season for a team many believed would be NBA Finals contenders.
The Knicks have been solid at shooting the basketball, ranking second in field-goal shooting percentage and sixth from beyond the arc. They also do well at the charity stripe, ranking fifth in free-throw shooting percentage. However, rebounding has been an issue. The Knicks are 23rd in rebounds. Likewise, their defense has suffered, as they are 28th in blocked shots. But the Knicks handle the rock well and are fourth in turnovers.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been great in his 11 games with the Knicks, averaging 26.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor. Additionally, he has done well against the Nets, averaging 25.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game over 14 battles with them. Brunson is still one of the best in the game. So far, he is averaging 24.3 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. Brunson has averaged 20.2 points over 14 career games against the Nets.
OG Anunoby is having a good season. Significantly, he is averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor. All eyes will be on Mikal Bridges, who will be facing the team he spent the last two seasons with for the first time since the Knicks acquired him. Overall, he has been doing well this season, averaging 15.6 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the hardwood.
The Knicks will cover the spread if they can spread the floor and take good shots. Then, their defense must clamp down and do a better job of stopping the Nets than they did against the Bulls.
Final Nets-Knicks Prediction & Pick
The Nets are 9-3 against the spread, while the Knicks are 5-6 against the odds. Moreover, the Nets are 5-1 against the spread on the road, while the Knicks are 2-2 against the odds at home. The Nets are 1-1 against the spread in their division, while the Knicks are 1-1. The Knicks defeated the Nets by an average of 10 points last season. Subsequently, both teams struggled to score in these games, with an average of 211 or fewer points combined. But both teams have better offenses this season. Also, the Nets are playing everyone tough. Take them to cover the spread.
Final Nets-Knicks Prediction & Pick: Brooklyn Nets +11 (-112)
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