The New York Knicks have to win their fans’ trust again after recently suffering consutive losses. A win over the Brooklyn Nets would be sweet for the Knicks. As for the Nets, they are looking to keep their momentum going, despite not having Kyrie Irving on the team right now.
Catch this game live on Thursday, January 14, at 8:30 AM, Manila time
HOME TEAM: New York Knicks (5-6, 2-3at home)
The Knicks are starting to unravel. They are now on a three-game losing skid after falling prey to the Charlotte Hornets on the road on Tuesday, 109-88. The Knicks had a solid start to the season and looked like they were about to betray most people’s low expectations of them. But after three duds in a row, the Knicks need a win to avoid falling even further behind in the standings. The Knicks have to rediscover their shooting touch. They have shot just 38.9 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from deep over their last three games.
The Knicks are going to be in a much better place if Julius Randle can get his teammates to be more efficient offensively. Randle made 52.5 percent of his shots during this New York losing streak, but Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett, and Austin Rivers are sabotaging the Knicks by feeding the basket with a steady diet of bricks. But if you want a reason to bet on the Knicks in this game, you can settle with the fact that they are 4-0 against the spread in their last four meetings with Brooklyn.
ROAD TEAM: Brooklyn Nets (6-6, 1-2on the road)
The fate of the Nets this season is looking like it’s entirely in the hands of Kevin Durant. With Kyrie Irving wandering “off the grid,” the Nets can’t let distractions affect their performance on the court. And that’s what Durant and the Nets did in their 122-116 home win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Durant scored 34 points and dished out 13 assists against the Nuggets. Without Irving, the Nets continued to get fantastic numbers from Caris LeVert, who had 20 points off the bench.
Don’t expect Irving to play against the Knicks. But the Nets should still be good enough with Durant leading the way to take care of business in Manhattan. However, Durant is considered questionable, as he usually is during the second-leg of a back-to-back schedule.
The Nets shoot better from behind the arc when they’re away from Barclays Center. The Nets are making 43.0 percent of their 3-point shots from deep in road games. Durant is averaging 29.9 points per game this season, and he’ll be complemented by the pair of LeVert (18.5 PPG) and Joe Harris (14.4 PPG). The total has gone under is three of the Nets’ last four road games.
PREDICTIONS:
The Knicks regroup after a full day of rest. They take advantage of the tired legs of Brooklyn and score a 108-105 win.
