The New York Knicks (25-20) play their second straight home contest on Wednesday night, but that’s not necessarily a good thing as they’ve struggled to an 11-12 mark at Madison Square Garden this season while going 14-8 on the road.
The Washington Wizards (18-26) hope New York’s slump at MSG continues, as the Wizards are in a 1-5 rut over their last six games. Washington has also dropped six of the last seven in the head-to-head series, making NYK -6 look like one of the Wizards vs Knicks best bets of the night.
Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks Information
Time: Wednesday, January 18th, 7:30 PM ET
Location of the game: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
How to watch: NBCS-WSH, MSG
Last Game Score
This is the second of the Wizards vs Knicks NBA matchups of the season, with New York pulling off a 112-108 win in January to barely cover the -3.5 point spread. Kyle Kuzma had 40 points in that game, but it wasn’t enough for Washington to pull out the victory.
Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks Analysis
New York will try to get it going at home on Wednesday’s NBA schedule, something they could not do on Monday, falling 123-121 to the Raptors as -2 point favorites. That game was on the second leg of a back-to-back, though, following a 117-104 win over Detroit on Sunday.
The Knicks hope to get back on track defensively following a night off, and they rank 9th in efficiency on that end of the court. New York didn’t have much of an answer defensively for Kuzma in Friday night’s matchup, but Jalen Brunson also had a nice counter with 34 points.
The production of Kuzma and Brunson resulted in a push of the 220 total (112-108), but under 223.5 for the rematch looks like one of the Wizards vs Knicks best bets of the night.
Bradley Beal (22.9 ppg) continues to be on the Washington Wizards injury report, out until the end of the month with a hamstring injury which is one of the reasons the team is 1-5 ATS over their last six.
Leaders match
The home team is healthy coming into Wednesday’s matchup, but the New York Knicks standings still have them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games, which makes them risky on the NBA picks for the night.
Will we see another Kuzma vs. Brunson shootout for Wednesday’s NBA odds? Neither of these teams are especially high scoring in the NBA team stats, but the NBA player stats are impressive for both Brunson and Kuzma lately. Kuzma has gone for 20+ points in four games since Beal has been out this month, while Brunson has at least 26 points in eight straight.
Wednesday’s game could come down to which team gets better support from their secondary scorers. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points in Friday’s loss to the Knicks, but Corey Kispert was the only other Washington player in double figures (13).
Julius Randle dominated Washington for a 23/16 line in the previous meeting, while Immanuel Quickley added 18 and R.J. Barrett 17. New York looks like they have the better depth for this matchup.
Odds Breakdown
Washington Wizards
- Moneyline: +200
- Spread: +6 (-110)
- Over/Under: 223.5
New York Knicks
- Moneyline: -240
- Spread: -6 (-110)
- Over/Under: 223.5
Wizards vs. Knicks Betting Picks and Prediction
It’s just hard to trust New York even (or especially) at home for the Wizards vs Knicks best bets. Washington did pick up a road win in Milwaukee on New Year’s Day, but they’ve also lost their last two away tilts by double digits and are just 7-16 away from Capital One Arena this season.
In a game where it’s hard to back either side, you take the home team by default. This contest should also be lower scoring than Friday’s matchup unless you can count on another 74 combined points from Kuzma and Brunson.
- Pick 1: Under 123.5
- Pick 2: Knicks -6
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