When Carmelo Anthony is cooking, the Knicks are pretty hard to beat. After mustering just eight points in the 126-94 loss to Cleveland that stopped a four-game win streak, Melo bounced back and scored 33 points in leading the Knicks to a 103-100 win over Sacramento that kicked off the team’s four-game road trip.
That trip will continue later tonight at Staples Center, where the Knicks are 2-0 SU and ATS in their last two games there.
Facing a Lakers team that has struggled mightily on defense of late sounds tasty for Anthony, who leads the Knicks in scoring with 22.8 PPG. The Lakers have been particularly crap on defense in their last five games, wherein they gave up an average of 115.2 PPG on 50.0 FG%. The Knicks are scoring 104.2 PPG and have other lethal scorers not named Carmelo, who could do damage on a defense like that such as Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose. Porzingis is second on the team with 19.7 PPG, while the former MVP Rose is third with 16.7 PPG.
The Knicks also get a chunk of points off offensive rebounds as they are tops in the NBA in second chance points with 16.1 per game. Rebounding has been a strong suit for the Knicks this season, as evidenced by their fifth-ranked 46.0 RPG.
Bad defense and an injury-plagued roster have been problems for the Lakers lately and that was more than obvious during the team’s current five-game losing skid.
The Lakers, who lost to Phoenix 119-115 at home on Friday, will try to win one at Staples Center before kicking off a lengthy seven-game road trip as they go up against the visiting Knicks. The Lakers are 4-2 ATS the last six times they hosted New York in Tinseltown.
The Lakers are going to miss again the services of DeAngelo Russell, Nick Young, and probably Tarik Black in tonight’s contest, as they are all nursing different injuries. Their absences, however, have paved the way for the Lou Williams show. Sweet Lou has been nothing but money for the Lakers the last four games, wherein Williams has put up 34.4 PPG on 52.6 FG%. Williams came off the bench against Phoenix and walloped the Suns for 35 points, including six three pointers.
Expect the Lakers to ride the hot hands of Williams, but the likes of Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Luol Deng will have to step up, too.
The Lakers are 11th in the league in scoring with 104.9 PPG.
