NBA Betting – Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks

Playing the second game of a back-to-back set, at least the Brooklyn Nets won’t have to travel far. They head about five miles into Manhattan for a showdown with the New York Knicks on Wednesday in the first and only scheduled meeting between the clubs over the first half of the reimagined slate. The Nets got Kevin Durant back in the lineup after being sequestered due to COVID protocols. They’ve also been without Kyrie Irving falling below .500 after dropping consecutive games. The Nets should be one of the top teams with both of those stars, but they haven’t had them on the court at the same time a lot recently.  Bookmaker.eu has your welcome bonus (max bonus $1600)

Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Opening NBA Odds: (Check Back Later) - Live Lines
Nets at Knicks TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

Working in a new coach and several new players during a global pandemic isn’t the most ideal situation for any team, but the Nets and Knicks have handled it well for the most part through the early stages. The Nets were expected to be the better of the two clubs with a healthy Durant joining Irving. And while the two have had their moments there’s also been a lot of inconsistency. They blasted Utah and Memphis without their stars then lost the next two games for their third two-game SU and ATS losing streak of the young season. They finished the week with an overall record of 5-6 SU and 4-7 ATS. Being at .500 is a major accomplishment for the Knicks, though it soured after they closed the week with a pair of losses when the offense went on sabbatical. They scored 89 points and failed to cover the spread against OKC and Denver. The Knicks enter the week at 5-5 SU and ATS with the under at 2-8.

Brooklyn Nets

It’s early in a season dominated by COVID so it’s hard to fairly assess the Nets. It also hasn’t helped that Durant missed time due to virus protocols and Irving has been out of the lineup. KD was back in the lineup on Sunday delivering 36 points and 11 rebounds, however it wasn’t enough as the Nets fell 129-116 to the Thunder.

“I didn’t sense the pride. I didn’t sense the competitive fire in the second half. We have to toughen up and show a little more pride,” Steve Nash said after the loss. The Nets are hoping to have KD and Kyrie together on the court this week. Irving missed the last three games due to a personal matter and posted strong numbers in the first seven games with 27.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. Durant has scored at least 28 points in six of his first seven games to lead the club with an average of 29.3 points per game.

It’s hard to find any kind of rhythm with guys in and out of the lineup, especially when they are as important as Durant and Irving. And making matters worse was the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie, who had a breakout campaign in 2019-20 averaging over 20 points. Still, the Nets boast the third-highest scoring offense at 118.5 points, so defense has been an issue.

New York Knicks

It’s been a while since the Knickerbockers have been relevant so splitting their first 10 games has to be seen as a success. And while the Nets can’t stop teams the Knicks have a difficult time scoring the basketball. They’ve been held to fewer than 100 points in half their games with four of those being below 90 points. They used a late surge from Austin Rivers in a 112-100 win over Utah last week. Rivers scored 14 consecutive points and hit four three-pointers in the final four minutes. Unfortunately, an outburst like that has been the exception.

Thankfully the defense has been a strength helping the Knicks to stay competitive. It’s also helped under bettors at the betting window. New York played below the total in a 114-98 loss to Denver on Sunday cashing the under for the eighth straight game.

The main threat is Julius Randle, who has put up impressive numbers in the early part of the season. Randle averages a double-double with 23.2 points and 11.8 rebounds. He had 29 points on 11 of 16 shooting against OKC and collected his eighth straight double-double with 10 boards. Included in that run was his first triple-double in two years when he had 28 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Cleveland.

Bet Nets at Knicks at BookMaker.eu

Both clubs have been up and down this season, which is seemingly the case for every team. But at least the Nets have been able to score on a consistent basis. They have a losing record but have a plus-5.5 scoring margin, the second-best point differential in the Eastern Conference. They will put things together with KD and Irving on the floor so look for them to get a payout win in this cross town matchup.

NBA Score Prediction: Nets 110, Knicks 102

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com