New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets: Preview, odds, how to watch, more

The Knicks look to build on their current six-game winning streak and secure their second straight win against the Nets when they host their intra-city rivals on Wednesday. 

Game Details:

• Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
• Time: Wednesday, March 1st at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: MSG Network

Betting odds:

• Spread: NYK -7.5
• Over/Under: 223
• Moneyline: NYK (-320), BKLYN (+250)

Matchup:

After the Nets dominated this series for much of the last few years, the tides seemed to turn after this year’s trade deadline when the Nets shipped Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant out of town. The Knicks won their last meeting 124-106 and also leapfrogged the Nets into the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Jalen Brunson went off against Brooklyn, scoring 40 points on 15-of-21 from the field and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. His Villanova teammate Josh Hart was also tremendous, scoring 27 points with four rebounds and two assists. 

Since Josh Hart joined the team, New York is 6-0 and is 6th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 120.7 points per game. In that span, they are also shooting 49% from the field and 36.8% from three, both of which are top ten marks. Perhaps more importantly, they also rank 3rd in the NBA, holding opponents to just 106 points per game.

The addition of Hart plus the return of Mitchell Robinson and the continued development of Immanuel Quickley has helped make the Knicks a legitimate contender in the East. Over the last month, they have won games against three of the top four seeds in the East, the Celtics, 76ers, and Cavaliers, and find themselves just 2.5 games behind Cleveland for the fourth seed, which would mean being the home team for a first-round playoff game. 

Meanwhile, the Nets are heading in the other direction. 

In the six games since Irving and Durant have been gone, the Nets are 2-4 and have lost three straight. They rank 15th in the NBA, allowing 115.8 points per game on 49.7% shooting, which is good for 26th. Offensively, it hasn’t been much better as Brooklyn ranks 25th in the league, scoring 108.3 points per game on 44.5% from the field (27th). 

A potential saving grace is that the Nets have shot 36.2% from beyond the arc over that time, which is good for 14th in the NBA. They have also averaged the 7th most three-point attempts over that span, while the Knicks allow the most three-pointers against due to the way they aggressively help in the paint, often leaving three-point shooters open. Even though the Knicks have improved their three-point defense of late, some of that has been luck as the Celtics hit just 9-of-42 from three on Monday despite many of those being open looks. 

If Brooklyn is able to knock down their three-point shots, they could keep this one close, but it’s hard to bet against New York given their recent play.  

Prediction:

Knicks 116    –     Nets 105

New York has not been great to bet on at home this season as they are just 9-11 against the spread as a home favorite. However, that is yet another area where they have improved, going 6-2 against the spread at home, and the Garden is likely to be jam-packed and loud tonight. I think the Knicks will pull away late and cover the spread.