Friday night viewing has never been this good as we’ve lined up a pair of mouth-watering NBA games that will definitely whet your basketball appetite. Opening proceedings tonight is the Eastern Conference showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.
Then, the San Antonio Spurs square off with the Los Angeles Lakers in a marquee Western Conference clash. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two matchups and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Indiana vs. Oklahoma City.
New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets (7:30 PM ET)
Line: New York Knicks (-3.5) at Brooklyn Nets (+3.5); total: 201.0 – view all NBA lines
What in the world is happening to New York? The reeling Knicks crashed to their sixth consecutive defeat with a gut-wrenching 111-108 loss to the Washington Wizards. With the loss, New York finished the first half of the season with an abysmal 23-32 record.
They will look to get their season back on track when they face fellow strugglers Brooklyn tonight. The Nets made quite a splash this past trading deadline, signing highly-rated Sean Marks as their next general manager. Marks will look to improve a Brooklyn side that has disappointed mightily this season. The Nets lie second-to-bottom in the Eastern Conference standings with a woeful 14-40 slate.
The Nets are 5-1 SU in their last six games against the Knicks.
Writer’s Prediction
New York wins, 97-91.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 PM ET)
Line: San Antonio Spurs (-13.5) at Los Angeles Lakers (+13.5); total: 205.0 – view all NBA lines
Two teams at opposite ends of the NBA spectrum will meet tonight in sunny California as the red-hot San Antonio Spurs square off with the struggling Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. The Spurs have won six of their last seven games to keep pace with the league-leading Golden State Warriors at the top of the Western Conference standings. The same can’t be said about the slumping Lakers, who are languishing at the bottom of the table with a horrendous 11-44 record.
The Spurs have won eight of their last 10 meetings with the Lakers. The Lakers, however, have covered the spread in five of those 10 games. The Spurs are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games. The Lakers, on the other hand, are 2-8 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.
The Spurs are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games against the Lakers.
