The New York Knicks (12-51) are currently on a five-game losing streak and will take on the Los Angeles Lakers (17-46) at the Staples Center. The game starts at 10:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 12 and will air on MSG and TWC SN.
The Lakers were victorious over the Pistons 93-85 on Tuesday. Jeremy Lin had 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for Los Angeles. The Knicks, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-82 loss at the hands of the Jazz on Tuesday. Alexey Shved had a solid game, accumulating his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Knicks won the first game 92-80. Carmelo Anthony was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Lakers enter the game with records of 17-46 Straight Up (SU) and 31-30-2 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games they are 8-2 ATS.
On the other side, the Knicks head into the game with records of 25-36-2 ATS and 12-51 SU. In Western Conference games, New York has gone 4-19 SU and 9-13-1 ATS.
Following the Knicks’ latest win over Los Angeles, New York is still behind in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, 4-6 SU. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Lakers have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Los Angeles held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings. New York never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAL, ATS Winner – LAL
Notes
New York’s offense and Los Angeles’ defense are well matched, ranking 29th in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. New York scores an average of 92.2 points per game, while Los Angeles gives up 105.3 points per game.
Los Angeles ranks 30th in points allowed per home game (104.2 PPG), while New York ranks 29th in points per away game with 92.9.
Both New York and Los Angeles have losing records when they allow and score fewer than 100 points, respectively. The Knicks are 10-19 in the former situation, and the Lakers are 4-27 in the latter.
At 2-32, the New York Knicks have an abysmal record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Los Angeles Lakers are 13-19 when they hit the century mark.
The Knicks have an offensive rating of 98.0 (ranked 29th), while the Lakers rank 28th for their defensive rating of 107.2.
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 43.6%. New York is a subpar 3-40 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Los Angeles attempts 19.0 three pointers and New York attempts 19.9 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Lakers are 3-8 while the Knicks sit at 1-12.
Los Angeles has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.68 this season (ranked 11th), while New York ranks lower at 18th with an A/TO of 1.58.
The New York Knicks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 40.4 per game. Ranked 12th, the Los Angeles Lakers average 43.9 rebounds.
Los Angeles is ranked 15th in defensive rebounds, while New York ranks 16th in offensive rebounds.
Los Angeles has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.1% this season. New York has an underachieving 6-32 record when its TOV% is 13.1% or higher.
