New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Prediction: Is It Time for a Turnaround for the Knicks and Nets?
New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Prediction: Is It Time for a Turnaround for the Knicks and Nets?
Knicks vs. Grizzlies Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
When: Wednesday, February 2 - 7:30 pm ET
Where to Watch: ESPN
Click Here for Knicks vs Grizzlies Odds
Knicks vs. Grizzlies Line Movement
New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Prediction
A little more than 10 months ago, the Knicks were one of the surprise teams of the NBA. Picked by Vegas to finish dead last, they had already surpassed anyone's reasonable expectations, having scratched and clawed their way to nearly a .500 record well more than halfway through the season. With a record of 25-27, even if they fell out of the play-in race down the stretch, their year would be viewed as a success.
That's when the Memphis Grizzlies came into the Garden and took a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, only for New York to storm back and win the game in overtime. It was the first of nine straight victories for the Knicks - a streak that would spur them to an improbable four-seed and the most feel-good regular season the team had experienced in decades.
Fast forward to now. The Grizzlies come to MSG once more, and the Knicks have almost the exact same record they did a year ago at 24-27. They are once again one of the more surprising teams in the NBA, but for all the wrong reasons, as their offseason moves to exchange defense for offense have backfired, and their engine at the center of it all has sputtered.
If Julius Randle was playing better, perhaps it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to think that this Grizzlies came could spur another streak towards the playoffs. New York's upcoming west coast swing isn't quite as daunting as it appeared before the season began, and disjointed teams often come together on the road. But with Randle such an uncertainty, and the faint possibility that the Knicks may explore dealing him before the deadline hovering over this team, it's hard to foresee that sort of burst.
As for Memphis, they're much improved over the middling squad that the Knicks beat the lat time they were here. They have the best record and net rating in the league for over two months now, and it's been more than a month since they failed to cover a spread against a team that wasn't in the top-six in either conference. New York, meanwhile, doesn't have a single win against a team of this caliber that's playing as well as the Grizzlies are.
The Knicks almost always show fight, but the magic pixie dust that made last season so special has apparently been used up, and this line is too small to take if you don't believe New York can win the game. Give the points on the road.
Knicks vs. Grizzlies Pick
- Grizzlies -4 (-106) (Bet $106 to Win $100)
Sacramento Kings vs. Brooklyn Nets Prediction
When: 10:00 pm ET
How to Watch: NBA League
Click Here for Kings vs Nets Odds
Make it five straight losses for the Brooklyn Nets, who now sit as close to the 7th place Hornets in the standings as they do to the 5th place Bucks. They are now 6-12 in their last 18 games, and own a negative 2.0 net rating since December 30 - worse even than the crosstown Knicks. KD is still out, James Harden may wish he was out, and the rotation below their top guys continues to look thin and unfit for a contender.
And yet, there are reasons to be optimistic. Kyrie Irving has averaged 25, 5 & 5 on decent efficiency since his return, and the Nets are 4-3 on the road against the spread since he's been back. As a team, although they've struggled mightily of late, all of their losses over the last three weeks have come against solid competition, and they have been in all of those games.
That's far more than the Kings can say. They have lost seven straight, 12 of 14, and since December 31 have the second-worst net rating in the league. On the (slightly) brighter side, they are 6-10 ATS in that time, and four of those covers have come at home, including a few against good teams.
Still, even with all of Brooklyn's issues and with them playing on the second night of a back to back, this is far too small of a line to take against a team with both James Harden and Kyrie Irving playing. De'Aaron Fox may or may not give it a go, but even if he plays, it's not like that shifts the advantage squarely to the home team. Brooklyn gets the get-well game the Knicks had a few days ago.
Kings vs. Nets Pick
- Nets -4 (-110) (Bet $110 to Win $100)