The Los Angeles Lakers (14-52) face the visiting New York Knicks (27-40) at the Staples Center. Action starts at 9:30 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 13 and will air on TWC and MSG.
The Lakers are hoping for a better outcome after their 120-108 loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday. Kobe Bryant was the team’s high scorer with 26 points. The Knicks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 101-94 loss to the Clippers on Friday. New York still lost despite the best efforts of Robin Lopez, who recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Carmelo Anthony has upped his play over the last five games for the Knicks, averaging 25.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.6 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first matchup 99-95. Roy Hibbert had a double-double in the loss with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers have gone 14-52 Straight Up (SU) and 32-34 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 14-52 SU and 32-34 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
On the other side, the Knicks have 27-40 SU and 36-30-1 ATS records. In Western Conference games, New York has gone 27-40 SU and 36-30-1 ATS. The Knicks are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with an NBA-best .811 free throw percentage. New York has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 12.6 per game.
New York won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY
Notes
New York’s offense and Los Angeles’ defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. New York scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while Los Angeles allows 0.0 points per game.
New York and Los Angeles are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. New York scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, New York has an 18-13 record. When Los Angeles scores fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 5-35.
When New York allows at least 100 points, it has a subpar 9-27 record this season. Los Angeles also has a losing record when it hits triple digits (9-17).
The Lakers have a defensive rating of 110.3 (ranked 30th), while the Knicks rank 17th for their offensive rating of 103.5.
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 41.8%. New York is a subpar 17-34 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The New York Knicks rank higher for their field goal percentage (22nd) than their effective field goal percentage (28th), while the Los Angeles Lakers rank the same for both metrics (30th).
Both falling in the bottom third of the league, the New York Knicks make 20.3 assists per game (ranked 26th) and the Los Angeles Lakers make 18.2 (ranked last).
The Los Angeles Lakers average 4.2 blocks per game for a rank of 24th. The New York Knicks rank higher (eighth), earning 5.6 blocks each contest.
The Los Angeles Lakers rank 13th in offensive rebounding, while the New York Knicks rank 12th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Los Angeles makes 7.1 steals per game. New York is a poor 15-23 when it gives up at least 7 steals.
