The Sacramento Kings (26-42), who have the top scoring defense in the league, will go head-to-head against the New York Knicks (28-42) at Madison Square Garden. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on NBA, MSG and CSA.
The Knicks are hoping for a better outcome after their 99-89 loss to the Wizards on Saturday. Kristaps Porzingis had a good outing, recording 20 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks for New York. The Kings, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 115-108 loss against the Pistons on Friday. Sacramento still lost despite the best efforts of DeMarcus Cousins, who recorded his 42nd double-double of the season with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Kings winning the first matchup 99-97. Rajon Rondo put up a double-double in the victory with 16 points and 12 assists.
The Knicks have gone 28-42 Straight Up (SU) and 37-32-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 28-42 SU and 37-32-1 ATS against the Western Conference. The Knicks lead the NBA in free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .809 from the free throw line. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Knicks prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking fourth in the league with 518 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game).
As for their opponent, the Kings have a record of 28-38-2 ATS and 26-42 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Sacramento is 26-42 SU and 28-38-2 ATS.
In their previous meeting this season, Sacramento beat New York, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. With a 5-4-1 record, the Knicks have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY
Notes
“New York is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 10 of New York’s last 11 games “.
“New York is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home”.
“New York is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New York’s last 11 games at home”.
“New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York’s last 5 games when playing Sacramento”.
“New York is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Sacramento”.
“New York is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Sacramento”.
“The total has gone OVER in 14 of New York’s last 21 games when playing at home against Sacramento”.
“Sacramento is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against New York”.
Ranked zeroth, New York scores 0.0 points per game. On the other hand, Sacramento allows 0.0 and also ranks zeroth (in points allowed).
New York and Sacramento are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. New York scores an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Sacramento gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
In contests where it has given up fewer than 100 points, New York has a 19-14 record. When Sacramento scores fewer than 100, it is a subpar 3-17.
New York is an underachieving 9-28 when it allows 100 or more points. Sacramento has a 23-25 record when it reaches the century mark.
The Kings have a defensive rating of 107.0 (ranked 24th). The Knicks rank 21st for their offensive rating of 103.1.
With 95.8 possessions and 1.031 points per possession, the New York Knicks perform worse on both metrics than the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento averages 102.8 possessions and 1.038 points per possession.
Sacramento has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.0% (ranked ninth in the league}. New York is an abysmal 3-18 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Sacramento Kings make 24.7 assists per game and the New York Knicks make 20.4. Sacramento is ranked fourth, while New York is ranked 25th.
New York makes an average of 5.6 blocks per game (ranked ninth), while Sacramento makes 4.4 blocks per game (ranked 21st).
New York is ranked 17th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Sacramento ranks ninth in defensive rebounds.
Sacramento averages 8.9 steals per game, ranking fifth in the league. New York is a poor 8-18 when it gives up at least 8 steals.
