New York Knicks vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction: Have the Knicks Turned Things Around?
New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers Prediction and Pick: Is New York Back on Track?
- When: 5:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers Betting Line Movement
New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers Prediction
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Is it too late for New York to recapture the magic of last season?
That's the question every Knicks fan is asking themselves right now after the team followed up a disappointing trade deadline with their best, most improbable victory of the season in Golden State. Playing without RJ Barrett, who has been New York's leading scorer for the last month and a half, the Knicks played their most complete game since last spring.
The engine behind the win? None other than Julius Randle. The target of fans' ire for most of the year, Randle has turned things around over the last six games, playing with pace and aggression at a far more consistent rate than we've seen all season. Even though New York has only won two of these six, you could see a turnaround coming, with respectable performances against the Lakers, Utah and Memphis. As swingman Evan Fournier recently said, the guys in the locker room still believe in the group they have.
If a turnaround is in store though, it needs to start now. The Knicks have a hellacious slate of games coming out of the All-Star break and have to take advantage of the next three before the hiatus, starting tonight in Portland. The Blazers are coming off a victory, but that came at the hands of the hapless Lakers, who look like a shell of the team many anticipated. Prior to that, they had lost six in a row, half of which came against bottom-four teams, by an average of 12.6 points.
This spread takes New York's record for what it is and doesn't account for what we saw the other night. Perhaps it was a one-game blip, but with Randle playing like he is, it's hard not to think the Knicks can take care of business here. Give the points on the road.
Knicks at Blazers Pick
- Knicks -5.5 (-110) (Bet $110 to win $100)
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Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas Mavericks Prediction
- When: 8:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas Mavericks Betting Line Movement
Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas Mavericks Prediction
In case it wasn't clear where Luca Doncic stood on the Kristaps Porzingis trade, he made his feelings known quite clearly on Thursday night.
Against the same Clippers team he'll face tonight, Luka went off for 51 points on just 26 shots to go with nine rebounds and six assists in what might have been his best performance of the season. Surrounded by a steady supporting cast that is about to add Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, Doncic & Co. can now boast the second most wins in the league since New Year's Eve and the third best net rating in that same time frame.
They've also covered four straight, and after an iffy start to the season where wagerers were concerned, they're 15-7-1 in their last 22. The Clippers, meanwhile, have lost four of five, with their only victory coming against the Lakers by a single point. Their once sturdy defense has given up 123.9 points per 100 possessions over these five games, which is one tenth of a point from being dead last in the NBA in this stretch.
Thursday's game was only a seven-point margin, but this won't be nearly as close. LA got a bit lucky and outshot Dallas 39 percent to 33 percent from downtown. Those numbers will equalize and this will be a double-digit win when the buzzer sounds.
Mavs vs. Clippers Pick
- Mavericks -7 (-110) (Bet $110 to win $100)