Free NBA Pick: Lakers vs. Knicks NBA Odds
Looking for Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks free NBA picks & NBA Odds? NBA betting sees the Lakers taking on the Knicks on Tuesday, November 23rd at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Lakers Knicks matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(9-9) Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks (9-8)
Date: Tuesday, November 23rd
Time: 7:30 PM (ET)
Venue: Madison Square Garden New York, New York City, New York
NBA Moneyline Odds: Lakers +135 | Knicks -160 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Knicks -3.5
NBA Betting Total: 214.5
Tuesday, November 23rd finds the Los Angeles Lakers playing the New York Knicks in their first meeting this season.
This is the fourth of five games for the Lakers who have one win (Pistons) and will play a back-to-back set finishing in Indiana on Wednesday. The Knicks split their back-to-back set with a win versus the Rockets and a loss to the Bulls.
Last season, the teams played twice with the clubs each winning on their home court. The Lakers hold the all-time record having bested the Knicks in 170 of their 293 matches.
Los Angeles Lakers
LA was trailing the Pistons by double-digits when things got heated. LeBron James took umbrage with Isaiah Stewart holding his arm on the line, jerked it away then close fist punched Stewart in the face.
What ensued was an enraged Stewart trying to get at James and several Lakers teammates all while blood was streaming down his face. Both players were ejected and both received suspensions although Stewart gets the extra game.
For what it’s worth, Dwight Howard is far more egregious in holding defenders on the line and the “little extras” he commits. James also knew immediately he’d gone too far as he tried to apologize to Stewart who was still dazed from the shot.
The entire scenario felt like the actions of a frustrated player and there are ample reasons for James to be upset aside from trailing a lottery team by double figures.
Last season the Lakers held the top-ranked defense (20th). with the fewest opponent points in the paint (24th), and second-fewest overall opponent points (29th). Additionally, LA had the seventh-best defensive rebound rate (27th).
In comparison, this year those four key stats tell a different story. As noted above in brackets the Lakers rank no better than 24th. Most concerning is the majority of the Lakers games were played at the Staples Center and seven of their nine wins are versus teams .500 or lower.
New York Knicks
Last season head coach Tom Thibodeau got his squad to buy into playing gritty, lockdown defense, and being the toughest team on the court. It led to a home seed in the playoffs and while the team didn’t make a deep run they had taken a vital step up the ladder.
Based on the lessons learned in the postseason the front office elected to add offensive players to address those issues. The problem, of course, was while the Knicks would have more offensive weapons there was a downgrade defensively.
Last season the Knicks ranked four defensively and 22nd offensively – to five weeks they’ve climbed to 12th on offense but the defense is now ranked 18th.
In the most recent loss to the Bulls, Julius Randle was the only starter to reach double-figures with 34 points and 10 rebounds. A trio of reserves joined him including Alec Burks (13), Immanuel Quickly (12). and Obi Toppin (10).
This match is reflective of the Knicks season. Their bench has excelled ranking third for points scored while their starters rank 25th and the elephant in the room is the reserves are also playing better defensively.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The teams are 5-5 in their last 10 head to head contests
- The Knicks are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 head to head meetings
- Over Under is 7-3 in the team’s last 10 head to head matchups
Free Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks NBA Prediction
With James having to serve the suspension it will give the Knicks an edge in this match and hence likely why they are the favorite but the talent on the Lakers still exceeds that of the Knicks.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Lakers -3.5
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