The New York Knicks welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to Madison Square Garden. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 26 and can be seen on MSG, FxK, NBA and C+D.
The Knicks are hoping for a better outcome after their 97-84 loss to the Hornets on Saturday. Despite the loss, Derrick Williams earned his second double-double this season with 19 points and 14 rebounds. The Thunder, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 116-106 loss against the Nets on Sunday. Oklahoma City still lost despite the best efforts of Kevin Durant, who recorded his 14th double-double of the season with 32 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first matchup 93-90. In the loss, Russell Westbrook led all scorers on the team with 34 points.
The Knicks come into this game 22-24 Straight Up (SU) and 26-20 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-8 SU and 8-7 ATS against the Western Conference. The Knicks lead the NBA in free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .814 from the free throw line. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Knicks prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking fifth in the league with 326 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game).
As for their opponent, the Thunder have a record of 19-27 ATS and 33-13 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Oklahoma City is 10-9 SU and 7-12 ATS. Offensively, they average 109.4 points per game on the road, which is second in the league. The Thunder get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking fourth in the league with 904 made (19.0 per game). Shifting to the other side of the court, the Thunder have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .431.
In their previous meeting this season, New York beat Oklahoma City, but the win was not enough to overtake Oklahoma City in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Knicks have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC
Notes
New York is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York’s last 7 games.
New York is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of New York’s last 12 games at home.
New York is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York’s last 10 games when playing Oklahoma City.
New York is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing Oklahoma City.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York’s last 9 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 108.5 points per game (ranked second), while the New York Knicks are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 100.7 (ranked 13th).
Oklahoma City scores an average of 109.4 points per away game (ranked second). New York ranks 16th in points allowed per home game with 100.0.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Thunder are 21-2 on the season. When the Knicks score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 5-21.
Oklahoma City is 12-11 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Knicks have a superb 17-3 record when hitting triple digits.
The Knicks have a defensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 18th), while the Thunder rank second for their offensive rating of 109.7.
Oklahoma City has an average field goal percentage of 47.4% (ranked third). New York is an underachieving 2-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The New York Knicks average 21.0 three point attempts per game and are 4-6 when attempting at least 25 in a game. The Oklahoma City Thunder average 22.0 attempts and have a winning record (8-4) when attempting 25 or more.
New York has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.58 this season (ranked 15th), while Oklahoma City ranks lower at 22nd with an A/TO of 1.47.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 47.2 rebounds per game (ranked third). The New York Knicks rank 11th, rebounding 43.7 times each contest.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked second). The New York Knicks are in the top half of NBA teams in defensive rebounding (ranked 15th).
On average, the Knicks force a turnover rate of 11.6%. When the Thunder turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 29-11 record.
