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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 2/22/2024

by Spencer Toth - 2/22/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Tyrese Maxey

The NBA teams are refreshed after the All-Star Break, and we are set to witness a fantastic home stretch of the season. This year, Doc’s Sports is the place to find all your New York Knicks betting needs. We will not always favor the Knicks. However, by using advanced knowledge on the team, and the league as a whole, we will be able to churn a consistent profit by the season’s end.

Before the All-Star break, the Knicks losing streak was stretched to 4 games, with a pair of losses to the Rockets and Magic. New York has been struggling with injuries, but they still have All-Star Jalen Brunson in the backcourt, and a plethora of talent surrounding him.

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From a betting perspective, we strung together our 6th straight positive night, going a perfect 2-0 on the picks. The Rockets were surprising home underdogs, despite a dominant home record, and we took full advantage by grabbing the 4 free points on offer. Donte DiVincenzo’s role in the offense continues to grow, as OG Anunoby and Julius Randle remain sidelined, and he was able to easily surpass his 19.5-point total, scoring 23 points.

Tonight, the Knicks (33-22) will be desperate to snap their losing skid with a trip to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers (32-22). The 76ers have struggled with their reigning MVP on the sidelines, as Joel Embiid has been out since the start of February, ending his chances of collecting back-to-back MVP awards. Philadelphia has gone just 3-5 this month and has seen themselves begin to slide down the Eastern Conference standings. As a result, a bulk of the offensive responsibility has fallen onto the shoulders of Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is having the best season of his career, scoring 25.7 PPG, while tacking on 3.7 Rebounds and 6.4 Assists, all of which are career highs. His style of play is perfect for a co-star. However, since he’s unable to generate his own scoring chances late in the shot clock, he needs the offensive support around him. Luckily for Maxey, the 76ers made a splash at the trade deadline, bringing in valuable starters. Philadelphia picked up Buddy Hield from the Pacers and swapped Patrick Beverley for Cameron Payne on the Bucks. Hield is a lethal shooter and has finished 2nd in the league in 3 pointers made in 4 straight seasons. The fact that a career 40% 3-point shooter can take and make as many 3’s as he can is a valuable asset for the 76ers, especially with Embiid’s 35.3 PPG on the sidelines. Payne is another confident scorer, and his arrival with the hometown hero Kyle Lowry joining him in the backcourt has the 76ers primed for a deep playoff run if Embiid can return and be as effective as usual.

Tonight’s matchup features two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, taking on each other at less than full strength. The loss of Embiid turned the 76ers from title challengers to a fringe playoff team in the blink of an eye. For the Knicks, Randle remains out, and it’s becoming increasingly likely that his return may not come for several weeks or months. Anunoby is also on the sidelines, leaving Jalen Brunson as the sole provider for this Knicks offense. I mean no disrespect to DiVincenzo or Bojan Bogdanovic, but they are far too inconsistent to be leaned on in the clutch against a fellow title contender. Brunson appeared to enjoy himself at the All-Star festivities. And while he will not be as rested as his teammates, for a workhorse like him, even a few days off goes a long way when he’s used to playing nearly 36 minutes per game. He will once again be called on tonight. And while solid offense will be appreciated in New York, it has been their solid defense that has kept them near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. After trading for Anunoby, the Knicks went on a 15-2 run, allowing less than 100 points per game in that span. That is one of the most dominant defensive stretches in the modern era, but the injuries finally caught up to them. They’ve gone just 1-5 since and allowed 105+ points in each game during that span.

One of the reasons the 76ers have been so consistent, is the valuable extra possessions they collect on a nightly basis. On the defensive end, they generate the league’s most steals, while on offense, commit the fewest turnovers in the NBA. Active hands-on defense and plenty of minutes for Nick Nurse’s starters has them still floating above the play-in tournament. However, if they keep dropping games, that will not be the case for long.

The long list of injuries has robbed us of a solid matchup, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of money to be made tonight. The Knicks are slight road underdogs, and I’ll happily scoop up the underdog price on them to find a way to win. The Knicks role players will need to step up with the starters out. However, between solid defense, eager new additions, and a lethal Brunson leading the offense, I expect New York to get a crucial victory. Tom Thibodeau has shown that even with starters out, he can still march out a solid defense. The extra rest for both teams will benefit the Knicks more and reduce the stress of travel on what can sometimes be tired legs on the road. For the first bet of the night, we’ll take the Knicks at -105 odds on the moneyline.

For the second bet of the night, we will turn to the main man himself, Jalen Brunson. Brunson’s line is sitting at 29.5 Points, the lowest it’s been in over a month. After seeing this line close at 32 or 33 points in recent contests, this sub 30 line, against a middle-of-the-pack defense, feels like a blessing. Maxey is a very quick defender, but Brunson’s ability to blow past players, while also possessing a lethal pull up jump shot makes him a tough guard for someone like Maxey. The arrival of Bogdanovic, combined with the emergence of DiVincenzo, is why this line is where it is. However, in a must win game against a projected fellow 3-7 seed, Brunson will be called on early and often, and will get plenty of chances to fill up the hoop.

Pick: New York Knicks ML -105 2 Units

Pick: Jalen Brunson Over 29.5 Points 1 Unit

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 9-4

Spread Record: 16-14

Total Record: 12-8

Player Props Record: 16-24

Total: 53-50

Up 3.5 Units

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