Los Angeles Clippers vs. New York Knicks Preview
Where: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
When: Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Clippers (-1.5) at New York Knicks (+1.5); total: 220.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers (31-21)
Things are going from bad to worse for the LA Clippers as they crashed to their third consecutive defeat with a 118-109 loss to Toronto on Monday night. The Clippers simply had no answer for the returning DeMar DeRozan who exploded for a game-high 31 points. It was another disappointing result for the reeling Clippers who have now lost seven of their last nine games.
The Clippers will look to end their losing rut when they square off with the New York Knicks later tonight. The Clippers will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well against the Knicks of late. LA has won each of its last eight meetings with New York. For the Clippers to extend that dominance, they will need to tighten up their defense. In their last three losses, opponents have scored an average of 119.3 points.
With regards to their offense, the Clippers are expected to ride the hot hand of Blake Griffin. He recorded his fifth career triple-double in the loss to the Raptors, scoring 26 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out a career-high-tying 11 assists. Griffin’s starting to find his rhythm after missing 18 games following routine arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on December 20.
The Clippers are 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the New York Knicks (22-31)
“You have to play for some pride.” That was the damning assessment of head coach Jeff Hornacek after he saw his Knicks side absorb a humiliating 121-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The Knicks have now dropped the first two games of their five-game home set and have lost 14 of their last 20 outings.
Compounding the Knicks’ woes is the ongoing drama between team president Phil Jackson and superstar Carmelo Anthony. Jackson once again took a cheap shot on Melo on Twitter, agreeing with Bleacher Report columnist Kevin Ding’s premise that Anthony doesn’t care about winning enough. The Zen Master can put the blame on Anthony all he wants but the fact remains that the Knicks are a woeful 71-146 during Jackson’s three-year reign as president. Such is the mess that the Knicks are in right now that they fell behind by 27 points to a Lakers team that hadn’t won on the road since December 20.
For the Knicks to arrest their skid against the Clippers, they will need to improve on their play on the defensive end. The Knicks are 25th in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 108.8 points per game this season. They have surrendered at least 30 points in two quarters in 26 of their 53 games this campaign.
The Knicks are 2-8 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Clippers (-1.5) pile more misery on the Knicks with a 107-100 win.
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