The New York Knicks (2-1) play the visiting San Antonio Spurs (2-1) at Madison Square Garden. Action starts at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 2 and will air on MSG, FSW and C+D.
The Knicks were victorious over the Wizards 117-110 on Saturday. Carmelo Anthony was the game’s leading scorer with 37 points on 11-for-18 shooting. The Spurs are coming off a 95-87 win over the Celtics on Sunday. LaMarcus Aldridge led the game in scoring by posting 24 points on 8-for-18 shooting.
The Knicks, a seven-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against San Antonio. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at 203 points. The Knicks have the same record (2-1) both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). New York has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .841.
Over on the other bench, the Spurs have a record of 2-1 both ATS and SU. San Antonio may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Knicks averaging 28.3 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was a Knicks victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 5-4-1 record, the Knicks have the advantage ATS. New York and San Antonio each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice in their last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY, ATS Winner – NY, O/U – Over
Notes
New York is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games.
New York is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York’s last 6 games at home.
New York is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games at home.
New York is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Antonio.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York’s last 7 games when playing San Antonio.
New York is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games when playing San Antonio.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New York’s last 9 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
New York is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
On average, San Antonio scores 104.0 points per game (ranked 12th). New York ranks 23rd in points allowed per game with 106.3.
When opponents score at least 100 points, New York has a split 1-1 record. When San Antonio hits the century mark, it also has an even record (1-1).
The Spurs have a defensive rating of 90.0, second-best in the NBA. The Knicks also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 107.4 (ranked fourth).
On average, New York has 105.6 possessions per game and scores 1.074 points on each possession. San Antonio has both fewer possessions (101.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.995).
Ranked ninth in the NBA, San Antonio has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.8%. New York has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-1).
New York has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.32 this season (ranked 19th). San Antonio ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.37 (ranked 16th).
The Knicks rank 14th in rebounds per game with 45.7, while the Spurs rank ninth with 47.7 per game.
New York is ranked 25th in defensive rebounds, while San Antonio ranks 20th in offensive rebounds.
Though New York is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.8% (ranked ninth), San Antonio is undefeated (2-0) when its TOV% is 15.8% or greater.
