In what is an incredibly light five-game NBA slate tonight, we’ve got a preview of the Sacramento Kings (44-31) vs the New York Knicks (44-31) coming up. The game will take place at Madison Square Garden, New York from 7:30 p.m. ET.
Tonight’s visitors are looking for their third successive win, and it would be a big one too as they are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs, sitting only a half game behind the sixth-placed Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference standings.
Meanwhile, the Knicks are looking good value for a place in the playoffs in the East, but must ensure they pick up enough wins before the end of the season to consolidate their position. They’ll be looking to snap a three-game losing skid here.
In what is set to be an enthralling interconference battle tonight, Points Bet has New York listed as 3-point favorites (-110) with the game total set at O/U 214.5. Let’s take a look at our game analysis before we provide you with our best bet for the matchup!
Last Time Out
Without Kawhi Leonard on the court, the Los Angeles Clippers succumbed to a 109-95 defeat to the Kings on Tuesday. Sacramento were without Malik Monk, but a dominating double-double (22 points and 20 rebounds) from Domantas Sabonis ensured they would pick up back-to-back wins.
That’s after Mike Brown’s men had secured a 127-106 home win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday with Keegan Murray putting up a game-high 25 points. After going 3-2 over their recent five-game homestand, the Kings will begin a four-game road trip tonight on the East Coast.
The Knicks have been struggling for wins of late, and are bidding to end their current three-game losing streak in this one. That run started with a 130-126 overtime loss to the worst team in the West in the San Antonio Spurs, before suffering 113-112 and 109-99 defeats to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.
Tuesday’s loss against the Heat meant that New York had failed to put up at least 100 points for the first time in seven games. A team-high 31-point game from Donte DiVincenzo wasn’t enough to help guide the Knicks to the victory, whilst Jalen Brunson shot just 5 of 18 from the field.
Injuries & Team News
Monk will remain sidelined for the road team as he is expected to miss the next month or so due to a knee sprain. His point-scoring ability will be missed off the bench as he is averaging 15.4 points per game (ppg) on the season. Kevin Huerter is out for the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
The Knicks continue to deal with a host of injury issues themselves and will still be without Julius Randle (shoulder) and OG Anunoby (elbow). All-Star forward Randle is averaging 24.0 ppg this season so he will be a big loss offensively, whilst Anunoby’s defensive presence is a big miss too. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Josh Hart (wrist) are both questionable.
Head-to-Head
Currently leading the season series 1-0, New York will be keen to complete the full sweep tonight in front of their own fans. They managed to pick up a 98-91 victory in California last month, helped by a 42-point game by Brunson. A double-double from Sabonis wasn’t enough for the Kings as their offense labored.
Betting Trends & Stats
In spite of Sacramento’s weak offensive display in the last meeting, they have excelled in that facet of the game overall during the campaign, ranking inside the top 10 for ppg (117.1). However, the Knicks have been superb defensively, allowing the second-least ppg in the league (107.9).
Outside of giving up 132 points last week to the Dallas Mavericks, the visitors have improved defensively of late. They have allowed just 108.8 ppg over their past five games, bettering their season average of 115.7 ppg. That could be the focus of the matchup, with Tom Thibodeau’s team averaging just 112.4 ppg on offense (20th-lowest in the NBA).
The standout betting trends indicate that the Kings could cover here. They are the fourth-best team against the spread (ATS) on the road, covering in 61.1% of games. That then increases to 65% when listed as road underdogs.
Still, the hosts have covered well at MSG, boasting a top 10 ATS record for home games (20-17-1). They have covered in 59.3% of games when listed as home favorites, which they also rank inside the top 10 for. It’s also interesting to see that the Knicks have seen the Under land the third-most in the league (58.7%).
Key Players
Everything in this Sacramento team runs through Sabonis. The three-time All-Star currently leads the league in triple-doubles this season (26) and he has had 31 successive double-doubles. However, De’Aaron Fox’s average of 26.3 ppg sees him rank 10th in the NBA so he is an excellent scoring outlet for the Kings.
As for the Knicks, Brunson is the star, and his average of 27.8 ppg puts him in fourth across the league. He’ll be keen to bounce back from an off night against the Heat, but he still managed to put up 20 points, despite shooting just 27.8% from the field. The guard has also recorded at least 20 points in his last five consecutive outings, including 61 against the Spurs.
Best Bet
The Kings are playing better basketball at the moment, and even without Monk, they managed to beat the Clippers. The Knicks are still without some key players themselves, hindering their offense and defense.
Sacramento has been excellent ATS on the road and we like the value of +3 for them to cover. That could definitely be an option to wager on tonight. However, we like the Under on the total more.
This matchup hit just 189 points last month, the Kings have been better defensively recently, whilst the Knicks have been strong on defense all season. Injuries will likely hinder both offenses as well, whilst the Under has landed in seven of the Kings’ last eight games.
Under 214.5 (-110 with Points Bet)
