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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 2/29/2024

by Spencer Toth - 2/29/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs. Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry

You’ve found the right place for all your New York Knicks betting needs, as Doc’s Sports will be breaking down every single Knicks game and bringing you best bets along the way. While we may not always favor the team from New York, by using in-depth knowledge on the team, and the league as a whole, we will be able to consistently post winning results throughout the season.

On Tuesday night, the Knicks came up flat against the Pelicans, losing 115-92 on their home court. New York’s injury woes were amplified, as in addition to Mitchell Robinson’s, Julius Randle’s, and OG Anunoby’s long-term injuries, Jalen Brunson and Isiah Hartenstein both sat out. That left players like Miles McBride playing 40 minutes against one of the league’s most complete rosters, and it was not at all surprising to see the Knicks take a heavy defeat. Lethal shooters Donte DiVincenzo and Bojan Bogdanovic led the way with 23 and 20 points, respectively, but the duo still shot just 40% combined from the field. The Knicks depth players will be well prepared for a rotation role if the starters ever return. And while these losses may hurt their seeding, it could polish their lineup for a potential playoff run.

From a betting perspective, we put up yet another positive night, going 1-1 on the picks. We unloaded the clip with a 4-Unit bet on the Pelicans spread at a measly (-2.5) price tag, which was never in doubt. New Orleans held the Knicks to just 19 first quarter points and capped off the game with a 41-25 4th quarter. Our lone loss was a single unit bet on the total, which fell 10 points short.

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Tonight, the Knicks (35-24) will desperately try to stop their fall down the standings, but they won’t have an easy task with the red-hot Golden State Warriors (30-27) coming to town. The Warriors have managed to keep their core together from their magical title runs in the late 2010’s and still have some gas left in the tank, as we saw with their 2022 championship. A few weeks ago, the Warriors were sitting with a 21-25 record, several games back of a spot in the play-in tournament. There were talks of trading Klay Thompson, and anything resembling another deep playoff run felt like nothing more than a daydream. Flash forward 3 weeks, and the Warriors have won 9 of their last 11 games, and a 10th place finish now looks like the worst-case scenario for Golden State. Thompson has begun to find his rhythm, and the Warriors suddenly have a very deep team, and top-heavy superstars highlighting their lineup. Steph Curry will always be the main attraction as long as he’s wearing a Warriors uniform, but it has been the emergence of his supporting cast that has resulted in so many wins. Jonathan Kuminga has taken a massive step forward in his third NBA season, solidifying himself as the third option behind Curry and Thompson with a career high 15.4 PPG. The loss of Andrew Wiggins due to personal matters will hurt their rotation. However, as fate would have it, Chris Paul is ready to return after missing 21 games with a broken hand. This Golden State team may not have the same feel as the championship winning editions, but their combination of seriously talented veterans, and youngsters ready to take the next step, has them knocking on the door of a crowded Western conference.

The Warriors will always bring the heat to any NBA matchup, and New York will need to be on their A Game if they expect to defend home court. The Knicks are coming into this matchup as the underdog. However, as long as Brunson suits up, they’ll always have a fighting chance. The emergence of Jalen Brunson doesn’t get talked about quite enough around the league. On most NBA teams, if 3 of the 4 best players on the roster go down with injuries, the playoffs are quickly out of the question. However, the Knicks have managed to stay afloat, going 6-7 with Randle and Anunoby on the bench, and that is rather impressive. Brunson has consistently stepped up and delivered countless clutch shots when the Knicks need it most and is undoubtedly deserving of his All-Star status. Between Brunson’s dominance, and DiVincenzo’s occasionally hot shooting, the Knicks are still in a great position to make a deep playoff run when Anunoby, and eventually Randle, return.

In tonight’s game, the Warriors are 4.5-point road favorites, and I really can’t argue with this line. Golden State leads the league with 10 February wins, and a shorthanded Knicks team will need to play a perfect game if they are to keep this one competitive. While I don’t like fading the Knicks on a nightly basis, considering they’ve gone just 1-9 ATS in the last 10, while the Warriors are surging, the choice is clear. When healthy, I’d take the Knicks over the Warriors any day of the week, but we’re not in the business of playing ‘what ifs.’ The gap in the current lineups is far greater than the measly 4.5-point spread suggests. And even with the game going down in New York, the Warriors are the clear choice. The Warriors are Top 5 in 3’s assists, and rebounds, so unless their turnover issues come up, they should be able to gradually build a substantial lead against the Knicks. For the first bet of the night, we’ll happily lay the points with the visitors.

For the second bet of the evening, we’ll be looking at Donte DiVincenzo. The Warriors are expected to jack up plenty of threes. And if the Knicks go down early, they may be forced to lean on the deep ball, too. DiVincenzo makes his living from behind the arc, and we’ll be taking his Over 3.5 3’s at -150, and his Over 4.5 3’s at +135 too. DiVincenzo has scored 4+ 3’s in his last 5 games, and 11 of the last 12. The Warriors have no problems turning this game into a shootout. And with the injuries to the Knicks lineup, DiVincenzo remains the second option. I have no doubt he’ll be jacking up 10+ attempts tonight. And as long as he is average from behind the arc, this prop should cash with ease.

Pick: Golden State Warriors (-4.5) 2 Units

Pick: Donte DiVincenzo Over 3.5 3’s -150 2 Units

Pick: Donte DiVincenzo Over 4.5 3’s +135 1 Unit

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 10-4

Spread Record: 18-14

Total Record: 12-10

Player Props Record: 16-26

Total: 56-54 

Up 6.0 Units

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