Just one year ago the Brooklyn Nets had their own big three and were touted by many as the favorite to win the O’Brien Trophy. My how things have changed. The big three was broken up with the trade of James Harden, Kyrie Irving dealt with issues keeping him off the floor and a violation of team conduct landed him a suspension. And the team recently made a coaching change firing Steve Nash. One thing the Nets were able to do through all the turmoil was beat the New York Knicks, sweeping the season series last year extending the streak to seven games. The clubs meet for the first time this season Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s game will air live on ESPN with tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA schedule.
Knicks vs Nets Odds
New York Knicks (Check Back Later)
Brooklyn Nets (Check Back Later)
Total (Check Back Later)
Season to Date
The Knicks opened the season with a tough loss at Memphis in overtime then rattled off three consecutive wins at home going 3-1 ATS in that span. The offense clicked in those outings twice hitting the 130-point mark while averaging almost 123 points and cashing the OVER thrice. Once the level of competition picked up the Knicks suffered. Against East heavyweights the Knicks lost three straight all by double figures. They fell to Milwaukee and Cleveland at the Garden before losing 112-99 in Atlanta. Those three squads started the week with a combined record of 24-6. New York evened its record at 5-5 SU and ATS with a 120-107 win at Minnesota on Monday, their second straight road win.
With Irving suspended and Ben Simmons out with a sore knee, the Nets put their first winning streak of the season together with Kevin Durant leading the charge. Durant had 28 and the Nets shot 56 percent from the field in a 42-point road win over Washington. It was the first win under interim coach Jacque Vaughn, who succeeded Nash after the Nets went 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in their first seven games. The Nets showed the ability to close out a game ending on a 23-7 run to beat Charlotte 98-94. The return of Simmons wasn’t enough to continue the streak, though. Following a four-game absence Simmons came off the bench with two points and three rebounds in a 96-94 loss to Dallas dropping the Nets to 4-7 SU and 3-7-1 ATS.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are about as average as you can get through 10 games. Winning two of their last three has them at 5-5 SU and ATS while they score and allow 115 points per game. Playing .500 for the year would be an improvement over last season but still probably doesn’t get them to the postseason since the 10 teams that advanced all finished at least three games over the breakeven point. It does give the Knicks something to strive for and with Jalen Brunson fitting in seamlessly the Knicks should be better.
Brunson leads the team in assists and is one of three players averaging more than 19 points. Julius Randle scores 20.1 points per game with Brunson at 19.7 and R.J. Barrett at 19.6. Scoring, though, isn’t the issue. The Knicks are 16th in defensive rating and have struggled to stop opponents, which contradicts the coaching style of Tom Thibodeau. While the games during their current losing streak to the Nets have been close, the Knicks haven’t been able to finish, though they did earn four payouts in that stretch.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are getting a chance to see what other players on the roster can do with Cam Thomas getting an increased workload. Thomas played just over 14 minutes total in the first eight games and didn’t see the floor five of those contests. However, with Irving and Simmons out he started against the Wizards scoring 17 points with six assists and four rebounds in almost 32 minutes. He had 21 points in the Charlotte win and scored 19 against the Mavs. Brooklyn went 2-0-1 ATS in those games.
Offense continues to be a problem, though. They average 110.5 points but failed to hit 100 in two straight and three of their last four. Taking Irving’s 26.9 points per game out of the equation hurts especially since Simmons has been reluctant to shoot the basketball. He attempts just 5.3 field goals a game and has yet to reach double-figures in points. As a result the Nets cashed the UNDER in each of their last five games
Knicks vs Nets Prediction
This is the best time for the Knicks to end their skid against their cross town rival with the Nets trying to figure things out from all the drama. Outside of KD it’s a mystery where Brooklyn gets its offense. And the Knicks can take advantage of that to get a nice road win.
Prediction: New York Knicks and UNDER
