New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/18/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Monday, December 18, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Los Angeles Lakers (15-11) will try to defeat the New York Knicks (14-11) at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

The Knicks faced the Clippers and ended up losing by a score of 144-122 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Knicks ended up finishing with 22 and the Clippers finished the game with 21 fouls. They converted 16 out of their 33 shots from 3-point range. Los Angeles walked away from this one shooting 82.4% at the free throw line by making 28 of 34 shots. Additionally, Los Angeles collected 42 rebounds (8 offensive, 34 defensive) and had 4 blocks. Los Angeles dished out 36 assists and had 8 steals for the contest. When discussing defense, New York allowed the other team to go 56.8% from the floor on 50 out of 88 shooting. They also doled out 20 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing 8 turnovers and having 7 steals. In reference to rebounding, they earned 39 with 12 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Knicks converted 23 of 26 tries for a percentage of 88.5%. New York ended the contest having earned a 46.8% FG percentage (44 out of 94) and buried 11 of 35 three-point attempts.

Jalen Brunson is one guy who was a contributor in this game. Brunson ended up shooting 41.2% from the field and also totaled 6 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes and also collected 7 rebounds. He walked away with 22 points on 7 out of 17 shooting.

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New York enters this game with a win-loss record of 14-11 for the season. They are turning it over 13.0 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.1 personal fouls every game. As a team, New York is pulling in 45.2 boards per game and has tallied 598 dimes so far this season, which is 27th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Knicks are hitting 38.1% on shots from 3-point land (336 of 881) and 75.0% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 114.5 pts per contest (16th in the league) while hitting 46.2% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Knicks are forcing 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 21.0 personal fouls. They are 15th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 650 relinquished this season. The Knicks are giving up a shooting percentage of 48.0% (1,035 of 2,156) and they surrender 40.6 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 37.7% on shots from downtown and they rank 9th in the league in points per game allowed (111.8).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Lakers took a loss by a score of 129-115 against the Spurs. In the matter of attacking the glass, Los Angeles allowed San Antonio to pull down 45 overall (9 on the offensive glass). They finished 42.9% from three-point range by shooting 18 of 42 and finished the contest at 17 out of 19 at the free throw line (89.5%). The Lakers allowed the Spurs to convert 47 out of 95 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.5% for the contest. When the game finished, the Lakers ended up shooting 43 out of 89 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.3%. Concerning shooting from distance, Los Angeles made 11 of 36 attempts (30.6%). They were able to make 18 of those for a rate of 64.3%. The Spurs were called for 19 fouls for this game which got the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 28 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 6 times, while getting 5 steals in this contest. The Lakers pulled down 34 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 43 in this contest.

LeBron James was important for the Lakers in the game. He made 7 out of 17 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 41.2%, and accounted for 7 rebounds. James earned 23 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and earned 14 assists in this contest.

Los Angeles has a win-loss record of 15-11 so far this year. The Lakers are responsible for committing 17.3 fouls every game and they go 75.7% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 27.0 times per contest (8th in the NBA) and they turn the ball over 14.4 times per contest. Los Angeles has tallied 2,964 pts this year (114.0 per contest) and they pull in 44.6 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Lakers are connecting on 48.8% from the field, which ranks 4th in the league.

The Lakers are ranked 12th in the league in PPG allowed with 113.5. They are able to force 13.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.6% from the field (7th in basketball). The Los Angeles defense allows 37.2% on shots from 3-point land (366 of 985) and their opponents are knocking down 77.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 26.9 dimes and 44.6 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 19th and 22nd in basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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