The New York Knicks are going to need this win when they host the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden later tonight.
New York is coming off one of their more painful losses of the season — A grueling loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that featured missed free throws, missed foul calls, and an abundance of turnovers and headscratching plays.
The Pelicans are barely clinging onto any play-in tournament hope and the Knicks will need to take advantage of this matchup.
New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Betting preview
According to Wynnbet, the Knicks enter this game as 4 point home favorites. The Pelicans are 4 points road underdogs.
The Knicks moneyline is set at -175 and the Pelicans at +145.
The over/under for total points scored is set at 209.5.
New York was riding a hot streak but have now dropped 2 straight games.
The Pelicans have also lost 2 straight games and are a lowly 6-17 on the road this season.
New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Predictions
This Knicks team has been pretty consistent… consistent in playing up and down to their competition.
Given how much the Pelicans have struggled on the road and New York being as healthy as they’ve been, New York should not only win but they should certainly cash on that -4.0 spread.
New York will need Mitchell Robinson to avoid the foul trouble he got into last game. Jonas Valanciunas may be one of the more underrated players in the entire NBA.
I don’t think people realize the numbers, efficiency, and defense that Valanciunas is putting up this season but it’s right on the cusp of All-Star level numbers.
Still, it’s just not enough firepower for the Pelicans.
It was a weird game for the Knicks the other night and it feels like they can string together a solid win in this matchup. Julius Randle should have another strong game against the Pelicans forward group and Evan Fournier, who has picked up his play recently, should be a key contributor as well.
Expect the Knicks to take this one as they try to get back on track.