The New York Knicks (5-35) are hoping that a game in a different continent will help them end their losing ways. The Knicks are travelling across the pond, bringing their 15-game losing streak with them to London, where they’ll meet the Milwaukee Bucks (20-19) for the third time this season. The Bucks are looking to return to .500 after losing to the Chicago Bulls last Saturday.
Also on Thursday, LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers head west to meet the Los Angeles Lakers in Tinseltown. Click here for a detailed preview of that game.
[sc:NBAArticles ]
New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks Betting Preview
The Knicks aren’t done embarrassing themselves. The team kept its lengthy losing streak going after losing to the Charlotte Hornets, 110-82, at home last Saturday. The Knicks are now 0-15 in their last 15 games. Their next chance to break the skid is on Thursday against the Bucks, whom New York has failed to beat in two tries this season.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Against Charlotte, the Knicks shot a horrible 38.8 percent (33-for-85) from the field. Tim Hardaway Jr. is the only starter in that game to score in double figures with 15. Quincy Acy and Shane Larkin, meanwhile, added some scoring punch off the bench, combining for 30 points.
However, it’s clear that the Knicks lack a go-to-guy on offense, something that Carmelo Anthony (knee) could provide. Anthony, however, is questionable to play in London. He is averaging 23.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG thus far this season. If Anthony misses the Bucks game, expect the Knicks to get a big chunk of their points from Hardaway and Acy.
During the six-game absence of Anthony, the Knicks are getting 11.7 PPG and 11.6 PPG from the two players, respectively. Hardaway top scored for the Knicks in their last meeting with Milwaukee on January 4, albeit in a 95-82 home loss, with 17 points. The Knicks are averaging only 85.8 PPG over the last six games, fewest in the NBA during that stretch.
The Knicks are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against Milwaukee.
Do you think the Knicks will finally get a win? Create a betting account now and put your own prediction to the test.
Betting on the Milwaukee Bucks
It’s a steep drop in level of competition for the Bucks this Thursday. After receiving a 95-87 loss against the Eastern Conference top contender Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the Bucks are set to face the league’s worst team in the Knicks. The Bucks are 3-1 SU in their last four games against New York.
In the Chicago game, the Bucks didn’t have any answer for Gasol, who scored a game-high 46 points—including 20 inside the paint. The Bucks, however, won’t have to deal with another monster big man against the Knicks. The Knicks could be very thin in the frontline with Amar’e Stoudemire (knee) and Carmelo Anthony both labelled as questionable for Thursday’s game.
Even if the two Knicks play, Milwaukee seems to be capable of handling New York that owns a league-worst 32.8 points in the paint per game average this season. In the two teams’ last meeting, the Knicks managed just 36 points in the shaded area.
Brandon Knight (18.2 PPG) led the Bucks in scoring against Chicago, finishing with 20 points while adding nine assists. Knight has scored 20 and 14 points in two games against the Knicks this season.
Aside from Knight, the Bucks are getting tons of scoring support from their bench. The Bucks’ relievers put up 43.9 PPG, the most points by any bench in the NBA this season.
