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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 4/9/2024

by Spencer Toth - 4/9/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs Chicago Bulls Jalen Brunson

You’ve found the right place for all your New York Knicks betting needs, as Doc’s Sports will be breaking down every single weekday Knicks game this regular season and playoffs, and providing best bets along the way. We won’t always favor the Knicks. However, by using rock solid knowledge on both the Knicks, and the NBA as a whole, there is no doubt we will be able to churn a consistent profit all season long.

On Friday night, the Knicks lost to the Chicago Bulls 100-108 in the first of three meetings between these two teams this month. New York was bullied inside, as Andre Drummond posted 16 rebounds, leading the way as Chicago steamrolled New York in the paint. In fact, Drummond, Javonte Green, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan all posted double doubles in this game, with DeRozan doing so with assists, while the other three did so on the glass. An early ejection to Josh Hart certainly threw the Knicks off, as he injects life into the Knicks on both the offensive, and defensive glass.

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From a betting perspective, we had an 0-2 night. We took a shot on the Knicks plus-money moneyline, and they fell short. We also expected Donte DiVincenzo to have a big night, but the surprise return of OG Anunoby limited his minutes, combined with the fact he went an ice cold 4/12 from the floor, falling well short of 20+ points.

On Sunday night, the Knicks bounced back with a nice 122-109 road win in Milwaukee. Jalen Brunson exploded for 43 points, as the All-Star continues to put the Knicks on his back on a nightly basis. The win snapped a 1-4 streak over the last 5 games, and New York will be looking to build some momentum in the waning stages of the season.

Tonight, the Knicks (46-32) head back to Chicago for a rematch against the Bulls (37-41). The Bulls are locked into a play-in tournament matchup against the Atlanta Hawks and are playing to determine whether or not they will be hosting or heading to Atlanta for their win or go home matchup next week. For the Knicks, there is so much more to play for. New York is currently sitting in 4th place in the East, but they are just 1 game behind the 2nd seed Bucks, and just 3 games ahead of the 8th place Miami Heat. These final few games for the Knicks will determine whether they have home court advantage for at least the first two rounds, or if they are forced to scrap in the play-in tournament. New York has just 4 games remaining; a pair against the Bulls, a trip to Boston, and a visit from Brooklyn. A 3-1 record will probably get them a top 4 seed, but anything short of that could see them drop dangerously close to the dreaded tournament.

Tonight’s matchup against Chicago could not be more crucial, and New York will have to prioritize the defensive glass if they want to avoid going 0-2 against the Bulls. These two teams had very similar shooting splits when they met last week, but it was the 10 extra shots from the Bulls that led to their eventual 8-point victory. The Bulls were ferocious on the glass. And with this one going down in Chicago once again, it will be up to the Knicks to match their intensity. Unfortunately for the Bulls, they could be missing key players for this one. Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Coby White are all questionable for this one, while the Knicks finally have their full lineup outside of Julius Randle ready to go. The battle between the two former Raptors DeRozan and Anunoby will be a fantastic one on the Knicks end of the floor, as DeRozan was able to outduel Anunoby in the midrange last week. However, that was OG’s first game back in weeks. And while his offense is still struggling, there is no denying the fact he vastly improves an already strong Knicks defense. If Anunoby can shut down DeRozan in the open floor, and the big men for New York can clean up the glass, New York will be able to pick up a crucial win, However, if they get sloppy and try to go toe-to-toe with the Bulls, another defeat could be staring them in the face.

For the first bet of the evening, I’ll be eating chalk with New York moneyline on the road. This -200 line is wider than I’d like it to be, but in a revenge game that means so much more to the Knicks than Bulls, I have no doubts they will be getting the win. The spread is set to 5 points in favor of New York, but in what should be another tight defensive battle, I’ll play it safe on the moneyline. In a game where the Bulls could be missing key players, and where Josh Hart will hopefully not get ejected in the first quarter for a head kick, the Knicks will be able to gut out a nervy victory. Their perimeter defense is far better than Chicago’s. And as long as Brunson is good to go offensively, there is truly no ceiling on this team. The Knicks have shown resilience when the times get tough all season long, and there is no doubt they will take a 2-1 lead into the season series, and more importantly vault themselves up the East standings.

For the second bet of the night, we’ll take a stab on Under 212.5 points. Both of these teams are where they are thanks to their defense, and neither are very effective from behind the arc. If the Bulls are contained on the offensive glass, we could see neither of these teams reach 100 points. The Knicks are consistently hit with totals in the mid 210’s. However, against another slow paced, gritty unit, this total should be way lower. At least one of the two teams has been held to 100 or fewer points in 3 of the last 4 matchups between these two, and that is likely to happen again. At 212.5 points, the Under is a solid look.

Pick: New York Knicks Moneyline -200 3 Units

Pick: Knicks vs Bulls Under 212.5 2 Units

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 11-5

Spread Record: 24-18

Total Record: 15-13

Player Props Record: 20-33

Total: 70-69

Up 4.9 Units

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