The Denver Nuggets (22-41) will be at home when they challenge the New York Knicks (12-49). Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 9 and can be seen on MSG and Altitude.
The Nuggets are are hoping for a better outcome after their 114-100 loss to the Rockets on Saturday. Wilson Chandler was the team’s leading scorer with 26 points. The Knicks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 92-86 loss against the Pacers on Saturday. Andrea Bargnani led the game in scoring with 21 points.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the fast-paced Nuggets (ranked fifth in the NBA in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Knicks (28th in possessions per game).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first matchup 109-93. In the victory, Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 28 points.
The odds for Denver and New York are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Nuggets come into this game 22-41 Straight Up (SU) and 24-36-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-17 SU and 10-14-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Denver in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 12.2 offensive boards per game.
Over on the other bench, the Knicks have a record of 24-35-2 ATS and 12-49 SU. Against the Western Conference, New York is 4-17 SU and 8-12-1 ATS.
With the Knicks’ last win against Denver, they evened up the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 5-5 SU. With an 8-2 record, the Knicks have the advantage ATS. New York held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Denver never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – DEN, ATS Winner – DEN
Notes
New York ranks 29th in points per game with 92.6, while Denver ranks 26th in points allowed with an average of 104.2 given up.
New York and Denver are well matched, ranking 28th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. New York puts up an average of 93.7 points on the road, while Denver gives up 103.8 points at home on average.
When New York allows fewer than 100 points, it has a losing 10-18 record this season. Denver also has a subpar record when it scores fewer than 100 (4-23).
When New York gives up at least 100 points, the team has an underachieving 2-31 record this season. Denver is even at 18-18 when it hits triple digits.
The Knicks have an offensive rating of 98.3 (ranked 28th), while the Nuggets rank 24th for their defensive rating of 104.6.
The Denver Nuggets average a field goal percentage of 42.9% this season. The New York Knicks have a subpar record of 4-39 when opponents have a FG% of 42.9% or greater.
On average, Denver attempts 24.1 three pointers and New York attempts 20.1 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Nuggets are 6-24 while the Knicks sit at 1-12.
Denver has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.57 this season (ranked 19th). New York ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.58 (ranked 17th).
The New York Knicks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 40.3 per game. Ranked eighth, the Denver Nuggets average 44.7 rebounds.
The New York Knicks rank 16th in offensive rebounding, while the Denver Nuggets rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
Denver has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.2% this season. New York has an abysmal 6-30 record when its TOV% is 13.2% or higher.
