New York Knicks vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 5/2/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Knicks vs Houston Rockets

Date: Sunday, May 2, 2021

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: MSG

The New York Knicks (35-28) are headed to Toyota Center on Sunday where they'll take on the Houston Rockets (16-47).

The New York Knicks faced the Chicago Bulls and walked away with a win by a score of 113-94 in their last contest. New York finished the game with a 46.2% field goal percentage (42 out of 91) and buried 12 out of their 27 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Knicks converted 17 of their 19 tries for a rate of 89.5%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they earned 41 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 27 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning defending, New York allowed their opponent to shoot 45.9% from the field on 39 of 85 shooting. Chicago doled out 29 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. Furthermore, Chicago snagged 43 boards (7 offensive, 36 defensive) and added 9 blocks. Chicago finished 60.0% when shooting free throws by burying 6 of 10 attempts. They also converted 10 of 29 shots from downtown.

Julius Randle is one guy who was a major contributor for the matchup. He was able to score 34 points on 12 of 23 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36:11 minutes and also pulled down 7 rebounds. Randle walked away from this one shooting 52.2% from the floor and also recorded 3 dimes. One more player that was a major factor in the matchup for the Knicks was RJ Barrett. He had 7 rebounds in 41:33 min on the court. He finished the contest at 60.0% from the field for the contest by connecting on 9-of-15 (22 points). Overall, Barrett had accumulated 6 assists.

New York comes into this matchup with a mark of 35-28 on the season. They are giving up possession 13.2 times per game and as a squad are committing 20.4 personal fouls every game. As a unit, New York is pulling in 45.4 boards per game and is sitting with 1,346 dimes this year, which has them ranked 29th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Knicks are hitting 38.7% on shots from beyond the arc (725 of 1,874) and 77.9% from the charity stripe. They average 107.0 points per game (26th in basketball) while going 45.7% from the field. When they are on defense, the Knicks are able to force 12.7 turnovers every game and they draw 18.0 fouls. They are giving up 33.8% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 1st in the league in PPG from their opponents (104.7). The Knicks defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.4% (2,396 of 5,401) and they surrender 43.4 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 6th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,478 surrendered this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Houston Rockets walked away with a victory by a final of 143-136 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Rockets pulled down 36 defensive boards and 16 offensive boards totaling 52 for this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 18 times, while getting 6 steals for the matchup. The Bucks had 21 fouls in this contest which took the Rockets to the charity stripe for 24 tries. They were able to knock down 20 of the free throw tries for a rate of 83.3%. In relation to 3-point attempts, Houston made 25 of 46 attempts (54.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Rockets ended up shooting 49 out of 98 from the floor which had them shooting 50.0%. The Rockets permitted the Bucks to knock down 49 out of 93 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 52.7% for the game. They went 41.0% from 3-point land by going 16 of 39 and finished the contest at 22 out of 25 at the free throw line (88.0%). Concerning cleaning the glass, Houston allowed Milwaukee to get 38 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Kevin Porter was important for the Rockets in the matchup. He buried 16 of 26 for the game for a rate of 61.5%, and added 5 rebounds. Porter earned 50 points in his 41:06 minutes on the court and tallied 11 dimes in the game. An additional guy that ended being a contributor for Houston was Christian Wood. He accumulated 4 assists in his 39:28 mins played, and he knocked down 10 out of 21 from the floor. Wood wrapped this one up going 47.6% from the floor and also notching 31 points and 9 rebounds.

Houston has a win-loss record of 16-47 on the season. Houston has accumulated 6,817 points for the campaign (108.2 per game) and they collect 42.7 boards per game. The Rockets are committing 19.6 fouls every game and they shoot 74.2% from the charity stripe. In terms of offensive execution, the Rockets are shooting 44.3% from the floor, which ranks them 29th in the league. They are dishing out assists 23.1 times per contest (25th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.7 times per contest. The Rockets on the defensive side of the court are 27th in the league in points allowed per game with 115.3. They are forcing their opponents into 14.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 47.3% from the field (24th in basketball). The Houston defense gives up 37.8% on shots from beyond the arc (838 of 2,216) and their opponents are knocking down 78.0% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 25.4 dimes and 47.8 rebounds every game, which is 20th and 30th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take New York

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