Knicks vs. Trail Blazers prediction: NBA odds, picks, best bets

The Portland Trail Blazers continue their extended road trip on Tuesday night with a visit to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks.

The Blazers enter the game with the Western Conference’s second-worst record at 10-25, but they did surprise the Brooklyn Nets, 134-127, in overtime on Sunday as 9.5-point underdogs.

That win snapped a three-game slide – all losses by 20 or more points to start a seven-game road trip – as Anfernee Simons torched the Nets with 38 points.

The Knicks are back home seeking a fifth consecutive victory after routing the Wizards on Saturday, 121-105, as nine-point road favorites.

Julius Randle led New York with 39 points – his third game of at least 35 points in his last four.

The Knicks have looked like a different team since acquiring OG Anunoby in a blockbuster trade.

They have won all four games by an average of 18.5 points with their new small forward, and are plus-85 with Anunoby on the court – a team record for a player in his first four games. 

The Knicks own a 10-4 record at the Garden this season, while coming off three straight wins at MSG against the Bucks, Timberwolves and Bulls. 

Thanks to the addition of Anunoby, New York has stepped up its defensive intensity of late, registering four consecutive under totals by limiting opponents to 106 points or fewer in each of those games.

The Blazers are expected to be without center Deandre Ayton on Tuesday.

Ayton, who joined the team on the road trip, has missed Portland’s last seven games with knee tendinitis and is listed as doubtful.

Matisse Thybulle (foot) and Jabari Walker (knee) are questionable.

With Ayton out and Moses Brown and Robert Williams shelved indefinitely, the Blazers have been rotating Duop Reath and Ibou Badji at center – not ideal against Isaiah Hartenstein and the NBA’s second-ranked interior defense.

Portland has lost four straight games coming off a victory, but the Blazers are 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last six road contests as double-digit underdogs.

Last season, the road team won each of the two meetings as Portland held off the Knicks, 132-129, in overtime at MSG. That victory snapped a three-game losing streak in New York for the Blazers, who last won at MSG in 2018.

This is a tough scheduling spot for the Knicks, coming off two road games then one at home, followed by two more on the highway at Dallas and Memphis later this week.

The Blazers, who are 6-2 ATS when picked to lose by double-digits, have proven to be profitable heavy road underdogs.

There’s no reason to think they can’t keep it up against the heavily favored Knicks on Tuesday night.

Pick: Trailblazers +12.5 (BetMGM, -115)