The rival Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks meet for the first time since the Nets’ roster makeover when the teams collide on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Nets (30-27) are playing just their second game since the blockbuster trade that centered around sending James Harden to Philadelphia in exchange for Ben Simmons. In the first game after the trade, Brooklyn beat the Kings, 109-85, ending an 11-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Knicks (25-33) have lost back-to-back games and six of their last seven.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Knicks as 4.5-point home favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 217 in the latest Knicks vs. Nets odds. Before you make any Nets vs. Knicks picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s NBA expert Mike Barner.
Barner is one of the most respected voices in the industry, and his work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He’s also been featured on ESPN Radio. He digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes. If there’s anybody who can spot an edge in a matchup or identify a player in position to break out, it’s him.
He also has a keen eye for the Nets. In his last 33 NBA picks involving Brooklyn, Barner is an outstanding 24-9 (+1410). Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Barner has set his sights on Knicks vs. Nets, and just locked in his picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Barner’s picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Nets vs. Knicks:
- Knicks vs. Nets spread: New York -4.5
- Knicks vs. Nets over-under: 217 points
- Knicks vs. Nets money line: New York -190, Brooklyn +160
- NYK: Julius Randle is averaging 29.3 points over his last six games
- BKN: Patty Mills ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-pointers per game (3.2)
Featured Game | New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets
Why the Knicks can cover
Julius Randle is on a roll. Over his last six games, he is averaging 29.3 points and 12.3 rebounds a game. On Monday against Oklahoma City, Randle finished with a triple-double (30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists). He has had a double-double in his last four games and six out of his last seven.
In addition, rookie Quentin Grimes has shown promise recently. In his last two games, the 6-foot-4 guard from Houston scored 20 points against Portland and 19 against Oklahoma City. And last week against Golden State, coach Tom Thibodeau showed confidence in Grimes by assigning him to guard Steph Curry.
Why the Nets can cover
Brooklyn looked like a completely different team in its first game with Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. On Monday against Sacramento, the Nets moved the ball crisply and finished with 43 baskets on 25 assists in a 109-85 win. They shot 51.2 percent from the field and 34.6 percent on 3-pointers as they ended their 11-game losing skid.
In addition, Brooklyn is catching a Knicks team that is struggling. Since winning three straight Jan. 10-15, New York is 3-12 in its past 15 games. The stretch includes seven double-digit losses, and four of the past five defeats occurred in games when the Knicks led by double digits at some point.
How to make Knicks vs. Nets picks
For Nets vs. Knicks, Barner is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side of the Knicks vs. Nets spread to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Nets vs. Knicks? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Knicks vs. Nets spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who’s crushed his NBA picks, and find out.
