The Knicks are looking for the third consecutive win, while the Hornets are hoping to end the two-game losing streak. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Hornets at Knicks
Spread: pk Charlotte Hornets (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 209.5 (-110)
The Hornets are looking to snap a two-game losing run
The Charlotte Hornets are visiting the Big Apple for their third consecutive road game, and they are desperate to bounce back following defeats to the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves. This matchup is somewhat easier than the previous two, but the Knicks are playing surprisingly well, and the Hornets will have a lot to do to beat KristapsPorzingis and co.
Charlotte suffered a 94:112 loss in Minneapolis mainly because of a poor display in the second quarter, which they lost by 17 points, 23:40, while, the horrible percentage from the free-throw line (52.4%) certainly didn’t help. Although they had more assists (24-20) and steals (8-4), the Hornets were outjumped by 16 rebounds (38-54). Only four players reached double digits as Cody Zeller led the team with 16 points and nine boards, while Dwight Howard added 13 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Lamb also scored 13 with four assists, but another reason for a massive defeat was an uninspiring performance from Kemba Walker. The point guard had just nine points (4-15 FG, 0-5 3P), along with team-high nine dishes, but that is way below his season average of 21.9 points per game. Walker will likely respond in a matchup with Jarret Jack, and I think he will return to his usual 20+ points on Tuesday. The Knicks are not defending the backcourt particularly well, so it is a great opportunity for the Hornets best player to dominate the floor. Dwight Howard will face Enes Kanter in the paint, and I am pretty sure he will have no problems to record a double-double on this one. The shooting guard Jeremy Lamb is another player to watch as the former Thunder is playing the season of his career, primarily because of NicBatum’s injury, but 17.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 3.3 apg are excellent numbers thus far in the campaign.
Steve Clifford will be without Batum for additional two weeks as the Frenchman is recovering from a torn ligament in his elbow, and until he returns, Jeremy Lamb will continue to serve as the starting SG. Julyan Stone is a long-term absentee, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was granted a special leave due to personal reasons and he is unavailable to feature at Madison Square Garden. On the other hand, Clifford is happy to have his backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams back into contention as he made a season debut in Minneapolis, logging eight minutes in a loss. The Hornets are scoring 104.10 points per contest on average (20th in the NBA), while they are allowing 105.10 points in return (14th in the NBA). They are among the best teams in the league (3rd) when it comes to rebounding (48.50), while the defense is allowing 42.78% from the field (3rd in the NBA).
Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 7th, 2017, 7:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: MSG, FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST
The Knicks are hoping for the third straight victory in front of their own fans
The New York Knicks are playing the fifth home game in a row, and they won the previous two over the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers. New York came from behind and secured a victory against the Pacers even though the visitors had a 19-point lead, but the Knicks managed to overcome the deficit and record another win, their fifth in the season.
The Pacers led by 13 at halftime, but the hosts responded with an excellent shooting from the field (50%) and domination below the rims with 12 rebounds more than Indiana (46-34). Despite not having a great night from beyond the arc (6-23), Frank Ntilikina made the crucial tiebreaking three a minute and a half before the end, and from that moment, the Knicks controlled the tilt. KristapsPorzingis led New York with a career-high 40 points (15-24 FG, 2-4 3PT, 8-9 FT), eight boards, and season-high six blocks; an outstanding display from the Latvian international. The “Unicorn” is averaging 30.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg thus far, and it is no wonder why the fans are already shouting the MVP chants. Tim Hardaway contributed with 16 points, four assists, and two steals, while the rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina added a career-high ten points, along with seven dimes, and game-high three thefts. The center Enes Kanter didn’t have the best shooting game (4-10 FG), but he recorded a game-high 18 rebounds, and it’s going to be interesting to see whether he’s capable of repeating this performance in a matchup with Dwight “Superman” Howard. Naturally, Porzingis is the player to watch in this clash, but the duel between Kanter and Howard will also attract significant attention.
Jeff Hornacek still cannot count on suspended Joakim Noah, while the guard Ron Baker is a game-time decision for this encounter as he missed the last six matches with an ankle injury. The Knicks are scoring 104.67 points per contest on average (18th in the NBA), while they are allowing 104.89 points in return (14th in the NBA). New York is among the top ten (9th) when it comes to rebounding, 46.11, while their home defense is the league’s best as they are allowing just 40.33 boards to the opponents at MSG.
Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks Trends & Prediction
The Hornets are 5-5 against the spread (1-4 away), while they are 4-6 on over/under (2-3 away), so it is clear that Charlotte’s road matches are not easy to predict. In case the bookies offer around 205 points, I am suggesting OVER, but be cautious they set 210+ points. They have just one away victory so far and scored more than 100 points in only two out of five visits.
The Knicks are 5-4 against the spread (4-2 home), while they are 4-5 on over/under (4-2 home), so considering this, picking the home team to win with spread makes sense. New York won only two out of the previous five H2H meetings at MSG, but they did beat the Hornets 110:107 in their latest clash back in January.
The odds came out a bit late for this game. The total is set at 209.5 points and considering that both teams have been putting up a lot of points lately, I think that the over would be a nice pick to place a wager on.
My Pick: pass
Total: over 209.5 points (-110)
