Lakers vs. Knicks Point Spread Play

Los Angeles Lakers (23-28 SU, 24-24-3 ATS) vs. New York Knicks (27-24 SU, 26-24-1 ATS)

When: Tuesday, January 31st, 7:30 PM (ET)

Where: Madison Square Garden, NY, New York

TV: TNT

Point Spread: LAL +2.5/NY -2

Total: 236.0

Money Line: Los Angeles Lakers +106/-127

Notable Injuries

Lakers

• Anthony Davis (Out) Foot
• LeBron James (Out) Ankle
• Austin Reaves (Out) Hamstring

Knicks

• Mitchell Robinson (Out) Thumb

Recent Form

Heading into the game, Los Angeles is 23-28 overall. When taking to the road, Los Angeles has a mark of 10-16 and a win percentage of 38%. Currently, the team is 13th in the Western Conference. So far, they are 24-24-3 vs. the spread. Los Angeles travels to take on the Knicks, hoping to avoid their 3rd straight loss.

Most recently, Los Angeles lost to the Nets by a score of 121-104. Thomas Bryant and his 18 points were not enough for the team to pull out a win as 8-point underdogs. The Lakers also finished with an ATS loss in the game.

Heading into the game, New York is 27-24 overall. When playing at home, New York has a mark of 12-13 and a win percentage of 48%. Currently, the team is 7th in the Eastern Conference. So far, they are 26-24-1 vs the spread. In New York’s last 5 games, the Knicks have a straight-up record of 2-3 while going 2-3 in those games. Going back to the last 10, they are 5-5 and 5-5 ATS.

In their most recent matchup, the Nets defeated New York with a score of 122-115. Jalen Brunson scored the most points for the team with 26, but it was not enough to earn the win.

The Historicals

Going back to last season, the Lakers and Knicks split their season series, with each team picking up a win at home. The average point total across the two games was 217.0 points. Similar to their season-long average, the Lakers averaged 111.0 points per game vs the Knicks. Just like the Lakers, the Knicks maintained their usual level of scoring in head-to-head matchups, averaging 110.5 points per game vs Los Angeles. The level of competition has been tight in the 5 most recent games between the Lakers and Knicks, with just 1 point per game separating the teams. New York has the ATS edge in this span at 4-1. Over the course of these games, they averaged 207 points per game, leading a 2-3 over-under record.

Analysis

This season, Los Angeles is among the league leaders in scoring, averaging 116.8 points per game. So far, the Lakers are also one of the more up-tempo teams in the league, sitting at 102.5 possessions per game. Los Angeles has struggled with their 3-point shot this season, as they are currently ranked just 26th in 3-point shooting percentage at 33.7%. In addition, they are near the bottom of the league in attempts, at just 31.3 attempts per contest. Defense has been a struggle for Los Angeles, as they are currently allowing 115.15 points per game. In terms of their 3-point defense, opposing teams have hit 35.38% of their looks from deep, placing the Lakers 18th in the NBA.

If LeBron James is not available for today’s game, Russell Westbrook will need to step up and take on the role of primary scorer for the team. This year, Westbrook has been averaging 15.8 points per game for the Lakers.

This season, the Knicks’ offense is averaging 114.3 points per game, which is 16th in the NBA. In terms of pace, New York has been playing at one of the slower tempo’s in the league, averaging just 97.6 possessions per game. The Knicks have been able to put together a strong offensive attack despite sitting just 23rd in 3-point shooting percentage. Overall, they are among the league leaders in attempts at 34.7 attempts per game. Defensively, the Knicks have been one of the best units in the NBA, allowing just 106.6 points per game. So far, they have done an excellent job defending the 3-point arc, allowing teams to hit just 34.2%.

Julius Randle is the top scorer for New York, averaging 24.7 points per game. This season, his field goal percentage is 46.1%. The team’s second-leading scorer is Jalen Brunson, with an average of 22.5 points per game.

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Betting Trends

• The total has gone UNDER in 8 of LA Lakers’s last 11 games
• LA Lakers is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
• New York is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
• New York is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

If you don’t think Lebron James will show up motivated to play in the spotlight you’re nuts! Wrong team favored! The Knicks aren’t playing well right now at 2-5 in their last seven games. Lakers win straight up!