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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 2/6/2024

by Spencer Toth - 2/6/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies Luke Kennard

Throughout the season, Doc’s Sports is the place to get all your New York Knicks betting needs. By using my knowledge of the Knicks, we will be able to churn a consistent profit by the season’s end. We will be attacking spreads, moneylines, totals, and player props, and there is no doubt we will end up in the green.

On Thursday night, the Knicks took down the Indiana Pacers 109-105, stretching their win streak to 9 games. They’ve continued to rely on solid defense to put wins on the board, and holding the number 1 ranked offense in the league to just 105 points is no easy task. On offense, Jalen Brunson continued to deliver points in Julius Randle’s absence, pouring in 40 points to erase a 15-point first half deficit.

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From a betting perspective, we had a perfect 2-0 night. OG Anunoby didn’t play, voiding our bet on him, but we correctly hit the spread and total, for the 4th straight positive day. The (-3.5) point spread was a nailbiter after the Knick dug themselves an early hole, but they held the Pacers to just 47 second half points, which easily cashed the 236 point Under.

On Saturday night, the Knicks had their 9-game win streak snapped by the Los Angeles Lakers, losing on their home court 113-105. Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo scored 36 and 26 points, respectively, but a shorthanded Knicks unit was unable to outlast LeBron James and the Lakers. New York is still 15-3 in their last 18 games, and they will be confident they can get back on track tonight, as they continue their lengthy homestand.

The New York Knicks (32-18) welcome the Memphis Grizzlies (18-32) to town, and this one shouldn’t be too close. New York is a mammoth -1400 on the moneyline and are laying 14.5 points on the spread. Memphis has struggled all season long, as they’ve been plagued with injuries, and off court issues. Ja Morant’s return to the team was abruptly cut short after just 9 games of action before he suffered a season ending shoulder injury. Joining him on the sidelines is Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. Xavier Tillman, and another 7 benchwarming Grizzlies. Their pre-season starting five, and their two best bench players, are all out, forcing Memphis to field a glorified G-League team on a nightly basis. Luke Kennard’s 10.4 PPG leads the team among available players, but the 3-point specialist requires consistent service to operate effectively.

This is one New York needs to win. Their 15-3 start to 2024 has seen them shoot up the standings, and they are just 1 game back of the 2nd place Cleveland Cavaliers. It would be shocking if the lowly Memphis Grizzlies were to upset New York, as they simply don’t have enough NBA caliber personnel available to play. Injuries to Randle and Anunoby have threatened the Knicks hot streak, but they’ve managed to keep the momentum alive and should get back on track tonight. Dominant offense from Brunson, timely shooting from DiVencenzo, and consistent team defense that has smothered their opponents has allowed them to mitigate the impacts of their offensive injuries. Their 101 PPG against in 2024, which just so happens to be after they traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors for Anunoby, is the lowest in the league, and New York is suddenly a legitimate title challenger.

In tonight’s game, Randle and Anunoby will be on the sidelines once again, but there is really no excuse if the Knicks let this one stay close. Their ability to clamp down on the defensive end has the Grizzlies coming into the game with a 99.5 point Over/Under, which is incredibly low for the modern-day NBA. New York has been able to employ a ‘next man up’ mindset in the locker room, and the defensive impacts from Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart has allowed them to dominate teams like the Grizzlies all season long.

For the first bet of the evening, I have no choice but to back the Knicks on the spread. The 14.5 points we have to swallow is chunky, but the gap in quality between these two teams will see this one end as a contest in the first half. The backdoor cover is always a possibility. However, when New York goes up 25+ at some point during the game, Memphis will be unable to claw their way back. Even with the Knick injuries, New York will arguably have the best 5 players on the court and will hammer home that fact with a big win. Not only have the Knicks won 15 of their last 18, but they’ve covered the spread in 14 of their 15 wins. I’m not going to get in front of that trend, as a big win for the Knicks appears to be on the cards.

The next bet of the night will be the Under. New York has gone Under the total points in 16 of the last 18 games. And against a lifeless Memphis offense, there is really no hope for the Grizzlies to get close to scoring triple digits. New York has the interior defense to prevent easy buckets, and the perimeter defense with Hart in the starting lineup to limit the open looks from deep. When this one gets out of hand early, Tom Thibodeau will go deep into his rotation to preserve his starters, as New York welcomes the red-hot Dallas Mavericks to town next game. The total is sitting at a very low 213 points. However, when New York wins this game by a scoreline in the range of 107-89, the total will not even come close to cashing.

This is certainly my most confident bet of the night, and that is for Jalen Brunson to get Under 32.5 points. Brunson has eclipsed this number in back-to-back games but failed to do so in the 5 games prior to that. He is a consistent 25-30 point scorer, but this line is far too high considering the expected game script. New York is anticipated to jump out to an early lead, and Brunson could see very limited minutes in the second half of this one. Memphis doesn’t have a daunting defense to unlock, but in a game that is a borderline formality, I struggle to see Brunson finding the extra gear needed to push past this threshold. He’ll happily allow his teammates to join in on the fun. And while he will put some solid points on the board, he won’t come close to reaching this number.

Pick: New York Knicks (-14.5) 1 Unit

Pick: Knicks vs Grizzlies Under 213 1 Unit

Pick: Jalen Brunson Under 32.5 Points 4 Units

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 9-4

Spread Record: 14-13

Total Record: 12-7

Player Props Record: 13-23

Total: 48-47

Down 2.5 Units

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