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In another game with playoff implications Saturday, the Charlotte Hornets will be gearing up to play the New York Knicks at 1:00 p.m. ET. The last time these two teams played each other, the Knicks defeated the Hornets 109-97 at Madison Square Garden last month.
The Hornets are entering today’s matinee game on a three-game losing streak. Charlotte lost 113-90 to the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Thursday night. The Hornets are 1-4 in their last five games and 3-7 in their last 10. They are currently sitting in the eighth spot in the play-in tournament.
The Knicks bounced back from a defeat to the Lakers earlier this week, with a 102-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs at the Garden Thursday. New York is 2-3 in their last five games and 6-4 in their last 10. New York has clinched a spot in the playoffs, but could move up to the fourth spot depending on how these last two games go. We’ll go over some ideal picks on DraftKings Sportsbook centered around the game here.
Update: Derrick Rose (ankle) is available to play.
Hornets vs. Knicks, 1:00 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Pick ATS: Knicks -5-5
The line for Saturday afternoon’s game is set at 5.5 points, with the Knicks listed as the favorite at home. Aforementioned, New York is sitting in the sixth spot in the East, but are only a half-game behind the Atlanta Hawks for the fourth spot. The Knicks would love to get home court advantage in the first round as they are an outstanding 23-11 at Madison Square Garden.
New York would also like to hold the tiebreaker over the Hornets as both teams have split the first two games. The Knicks come into this contest relatively healthy with Derrick Rose listed as questionable with an ankle injury. If Rose cannot go or is limited, we should expect to see more minutes from Alec Burks and rookie Immanuel Quickley. New York is 16-4 ATS in their last 20 games and 8-0 ATS in their last eight games against teams from the East. They are also 21-12-1 ATS this season at MSG.
Charlotte needs a win badly in these last two games before they fall down to the 10th spot, which is currently occupied by the Wizards. In their loss to the Clippers, the Hornets only shot 39.3% from the field and 27.3% from three-point range. Defensively, Charlotte allowed Los Angeles to shoot 53.3% from the field and 46.7% from behind the arc. The Hornets will hope to have a better offensive performance on Saturday afternoon. Charlotte has a record of 2-5 ATS in their last seven games and 0-5 ATS in their last five road games. They are also 16-18 ATS on the road this season and 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games against other teams from the East.
Player Prop: RJ Barrett over 2.5 three-pointers (+106)
We all know that All-star big man Julius Randle will get his points on Saturday afternoon against the Hornets. But, they will need second-year guard RJ Barrett to continue his hot-shooting from the perimeter. This season, Barrett is averaging 17.6 points per game and shooting 43.9% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range.
In the Knicks’ last five games, Barrett has gone over 2.5 threes four times. He’s also shooting 42.9% from behind the arc on 8.4 attempts per game. Meanwhile, the Hornets are allowing opposing teams to shoot 40% in their last three games.
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