The New York Knicks will travel to the Verizon Center to take on the Washington Wizards in their home opener. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Oct. 31 and will air on MSG and WA2.
The Wizards dismantled the Hornets 118-94 on Friday. With 19 points and 10 assists, John Wall recorded his first double-double this season. The Knicks are coming off a 106-101 loss to the Raptors on Thursday. Carmelo Anthony had a good shooting night, leading the team with 25 points.
The Wizards are a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 202 points. The Wizards start the season off cold Against The Spread (ATS) with a 0-1 record, while sporting a 1-0 Straight Up (SU) record.
In the other locker room, the Knicks head into the game with records of 1-1 both ATS and SU. The Knicks are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .857 free throw percentage that ranks fourth in the NBA.
The conference rivals will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Washington came out on top, moving its SU record against the Knicks to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, the Wizards lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. In these last 10 matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY, ATS Winner – NY, O/U – Under
Notes
Washington is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games,.
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games at home.
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York.
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York.
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against New York.
Washington puts up an average of 88.0 points per game (ranked 27th), while New York allows 104.5 points per game (ranked 17th).
In its last game, Washington won by a 24-point margin. New York is 1-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Washington has a 2-0 record in blowouts.
Washington has not lost a game this season when giving up 100 or more points (1-0). New York is even (1-1) when it hits triple digits this season.
The Knicks have a defensive rating of 99.0 (ranked 15th). The Wizards rank eighth for their offensive rating of 104.4.
New York beats Washington in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Knicks average 103.8 possessions and 1.074 points per possession, while the Wizards average 98.7 possessions with 1.044 points per possession.
The New York Knicks average an effective field goal percentage of 47.0% this season. The Washington Wizards are a perfect 1-0 in games where opponents have an EFF% of 47.0% or greater.
On average, the New York Knicks make 22.5 assists per game and the Washington Wizards make 21.0. New York is ranked ninth, while Washington is ranked 13th.
Washington ranks near the top of the league in blocking at fourth (7.0 blocks per game). New York is ranked 12th, with 5.5 blocks per game.
Washington is ranked 12th in offensive rebounding. New York ranks 22nd in defensive rebounds.
Washington makes an average of 7.5 steals per game. New York has not won a game when it has allowed 7 or more steals this season (0-1).
