The Friday night NBA slate features two of the league's best teams going at it, with the New York Knicks visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Knicks (24-10) have surged to the top half of the Eastern Conference and trail just the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in the standings.
In the West, the Thunder (28-5) lead the conference and hold the second-best record in the league. Tonight’s matchup is a highly anticipated one and the Thunder have been listed as the 4.5-point favorite at home.
Let’s preview this exciting game with our expert’s best bets.
The two longest winning streaks in the NBA belong to these two teams.
The Thunder have won 13 straight games and have soared to the top of the Western Conference once again. Oklahoma City’s success is even more impressive considering they have been without Chet Holmgren since November 10.
With that said, the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein has changed everything for the Thunder. OKC’s biggest weakness last season was their inability to defend the paint and be physical with forwards.
Holmgren is a special athlete, but his weak frame makes it hard for him to defend the paint against physical players like Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, and Ivica Zubac. The Thunder acquired Hartenstein in the offseason, and he has made an immediate impact on defense.
He’s averaging over 12 points and 12 rebounds per game and has brought the rim protection that the Thunder have desperately needed. In fact, the Thunder have won 16 of the 18 games that Hartenstein has played.
Plus, the Thunder have been extremely hard to beat at home this season. OKC is 15-2 at home and averaging over 117 points while allowing just 103 points. The Thunder might be the most complete and balanced team in the league.
Thanks to a nine-game win streak, the Knicks are just one game behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
The addition of Karl-Anthony Towns to the lineup has upgraded the Knicks from an elite team to a Championship level squad. KAT is averaging 24.9 points and 13.7 rebounds per game for the Knicks and has made an excellent duo with Jalen Brunson.
But looking at their recent schedule, it’s not that surprising that they’ve won nine games in a row. Six of those nine wins have come against the Raptors, Jazz, Pelicans, Spurs, and Wizards twice. Not one of those teams is above .500, and when the Knicks faced difficult teams, they struggled.
New York has already lost to the Celtics, Cavaliers, Rockets, and Mavericks this season. The Knicks have built an impressive roster, but it’s yet to show it can beat the best of the best, so back the Thunder to win and cover as home favorites.
These are two of the most efficient offenses in the NBA. The Knicks rank sixth in the league in points per game at nearly 118, while the Thunder are not far behind in 11th place at 114 per game. And when looking at advanced statistics, these teams rank third and seventh in offensive rating respectively.
Both teams are so efficient and alike because the two rosters are very similarly constructed. The Knicks and Thunder both have an elite guard with excellent wing options that play fantastic perimeter defense along with a center that pounds the glass.
Plus, both teams are fantastic at taking care of the ball. The Thunder and Knicks rank first and fourth in turnover rate respectively, which has been a big key to their success so far.
Based on how the Thunder have looked during their win streak and at home this year, I’d project them to score around 120 points tonight. New York has struggled at defending elite guards at times and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best in basketball.
The Thunder defense has been phenomenal, however, it’s hard to ignore New York’s offense lately. The Knicks have averaged 122.75 points in their last eight games and have won all 8 of those matchups. Plus, the Knicks have scored 126, 136, 108, 104, and 133 points in their last 5 away games.
I think the floor for the Knicks in this game is 105 points, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them reach 110 if Brunson is knocking down his shots. As a result, consider Over 221.5 total points.
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New York Knicks | +160 ML |
Oklahoma City Thunder | -190 ML |
Spread | OKC Thunder -4.5 |
Total Points | O/U 221.5 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC Thunder) | O/U 30.5 |
Karl-Anthony Towns (NY Knicks) | O/U 23.5 |
Jalen Brunson (NY Knicks) | O/U 24.5 |
Jalen Williams (OKC Thunder) | O/U 20.5 |
Mikal Bridges (NY Knicks) | O/U 17.5 |
OG Anunoby (NY Knicks) | O/U 15.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.