The Golden State Warriors fly to the east for a matchup against the struggling New York Knicks. Will the Warriors score a win in Gotham? Or, will the Knicks hand Golden State a rare loss?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, December 15, at 8:30 AM, Manila time.

Away: Golden State Warriors (22-5/8-3  on the road)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Stephen Curry
  • SG: Jordan Poole
  • SF:  Andrew Wiggins
  • PF: Draymond Green
  • C: Kevon Looney

There’s no doubt that the Warriors are among the teams to beat this season. Even with Klay Thompson on the sidelines, Golden State has managed to rack up a ton of wins, thanks to the brilliance of Stephen Curry couple with a suffocating defense that has seemingly become underrated. It’s all about Curry for the Warriors if you ask the common fan, but it should be noted that Golden State ranks high in several defensive statistical measures. 

Just take for example the fact that is no. 1 in the NBA in scoring defense with only 100.4 points allowed per game. As for their matchup with New York, the Warriors have won eight out of the last 10 meetings with the Knicks dating back to 2016. The last time the Warriors were at Madison Square Garden, they scored a 114-106 win as a four-point road favorite. Moreover, Golden State is 4-2 ATS in its last six games against the Knicks.

Advertisement

Home: New York Knicks (12-15/5-9 at home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Derrick Rose
  • SG: Quentin Grimes
  • SF: Evan Fournier
  • PF: Julius Randle
  • C: Nerlens Noel

The Knicks stumbled once again, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Sunday, 112-97, for their third defeat in a row. New York was missing a couple of key pieces in that game, with RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin on the health and safety protocols. The two could potentially miss Wednesday’s showdown with the Warriors, but a pair of youngsters have seemingly stepped up of late in Quentin Grimes and Kevin Knox. Grimes led the Knicks with 27 points, while Knox came off the bench and dropped 18 points. 

However, Julius Randle, who was expected to do the heavy lifting scored just eight points and turned the ball over seven times. He will look to be better this Wednesday, especially in ball security, as the Knicks can’t afford to give bonus possessions to the Warriors. The Knicks, who are averaging 105.8 points per game, have seen the total hit the Over in three of their past four outings. 

PREDICTIONS:

Spread:

The Warriors are coming off a close win over the Pacers. I think the Warriors are going to win with a more comfortable lead this time around against the Knicks. Leaning on the Warriors (-3.5) here.

Over/Under: I like the total going Under (211.5) here because of the Warriors’ unforgiving defense and the Knicks’ wildly inconsistent offense.

Advertisement