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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 1/15/2025

by Spencer Toth - 1/15/2025

Free NBA picks New York Knicks season long handicapping OG Anunoby

The New York Knicks officially finished the first half of the season, and it is now time to buckle in for the home stretch. They followed up their impressive 9-game win streak with five losses in the last seven games, which has allowed the chasing pack to catch up to the third-seeded Knicks. 

All season long, Doc’s Sports will be breaking down New York Knicks games while providing the best bets along the way. By using in-depth knowledge of the New York Knicks, and the league as a whole, we can churn a consistent profit throughout the year. 

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On Monday night, the New York Knicks were defeated by the Detroit Pistons 124-119. New York came into the game as 8-point home favorites but were unable to capitalize on a strong first half performance. Cade Cunningham turned into a scorer for Detroit, posting 36 points with a season-low 4 assists. Brunson, Bridges, and Towns all did their jobs for the Knicks, scoring 31, 27, and 26 points, respectively, but it was the same story of a lack of depth for New York that cost them the win. They were outscored 46-13 in bench points, as the Pistons ran a 10-man rotation compared to the Knicks 8-man squad. 

From a betting perspective, we had a perfect 3-0 night, and it wasn’t even close. The Detroit Pistons easily covered the +8 point spread in their outright victory to kick things off with a winner. We also said “We will take Cunningham to take a night off in the assist department and look to attack Brunson directly,” and he did exactly that. His 36 points easily cleared the 24.5-point total, and his season-low 4 assists didn’t come close to going over 9.5 assists.  

Tonight, the New York Knicks (26-15) hit the road to take on the struggling Philadelphia 76ers (15-23). New York made quick work of the 76ers in the NBA Cup a couple of months ago, and this is the first of three regular season meetings this season. Saying this season has been a disappointment for the 76ers would be an understatement. Philadelphia came into the year as one of the NBA title favorites but are now favored to miss the playoffs (-125) over make the postseason (+100). The addition of Paul George was expected to vault the 76ers to the next level next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. However, the results couldn’t be more different, as the trio have been unable to get on the court together. Philadelphia is 7-3 when all three play together, but those games have been too few and far between. They have gone 13-11 since their 2-12 start but are still on the outside of the play-in tournament heading into the second half of the year. 

This is the second night of a back-to-back for the 76ers, with Embiid, George, and Maxey all missing last night’s game. The 76ers appear to be up to their usual injury management tricks, as there are rumors all three players may have made a miraculous recovery in time for tonight’s game. The official injury report won’t be out until shortly before tip off, but it is safe to assume at least two of the three will play tonight against the Knicks. 

New York is not without injury problems of their own. Jalen Brunson has been dealing with a lingering right shoulder injury, while Karl-Anthony Towns has been hobbling for the last week and has now sprained his thumb. The pair have both been able to suit up regardless of health, but Towns may elect to sit this one out if Joel Embiid is not playing. New York has enough depth in their starting lineup to replace the offense of Towns, and Precious Achuiwa has done a great job at filling in when necessary. Both of these teams have average defenses, but the Knicks offense from the starting unit has been unmatched. The 76ers don’t have the depth needed to exploit the Knicks shallow bench, and there is no starting five capable of going toe-to-toe with the Knicks preferred starters. Josh Hart and OG Anunoby have shown they can explode on the offensive end when needed and have been the leaders for New York on defense. 

The rotating lineups make handicapping this game a difficult task, but there are still a few solid angles to look at. The first is jumping ahead of the injury news and taking a shot with the 76ers. While the Knicks certainly have the talent needed to beat Philadelphia, a -6 point spread on the road is too many points. Philadelphia will be playing desperate basketball, and we can get ahead of the injury news with this pick. There is a good chance that all three of the 76ers stars will suit up and Towns will not, and in that case the 76ers would likely move into the favorite role. We won’t unload the clip, but a few units on the 76ers +6 will turn into a profitable selection. 

For the player prop of the night, we will be taking Kelly Oubre Jr. to stay under 13.5 points. Oubre Jr. has been crucial to the 76ers offense with the star players out, but he will slide down the pecking order in tonight’s matchup. He has a tough assignment against Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart, which will give him no easy buckets in the paint. He has been putting up plenty of inefficient volume over the last few weeks, and those are the types of shots that will quickly evaporate from his repertoire. Even with the starters out, Oubre Jr. has only cleared this line in 4 of his last 10 games. This is another speculative pick as a lengthy injury report will see this total climb, but an inefficient Oubre Jr. will still stay under this total. 

Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (+6) 3 Units

Pick: Kelly Oubre Jr. Under 13.5 Points 7 Units

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