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The second game of ESPN’s Friday night doubleheader brings us to the desert, where the temporarily shorthanded Phoenix Suns will host the spiraling New York Knicks.
Phoenix (50-12) had little issues putting down the Trail Blazers without the services of Chris Paul and Devin Booker on Wednesday, dominating its way to a 120-90 victory. The Suns successfully held Portland to under 40% shooting for the evening and took control of the action from the second quarter onward. Deandre Ayton provided 18 points and eight rebounds while Cam Johnson came off the bench to put up 20 points. Booker, who sat out due to health and safety protocols, will also miss tonight’s game.
New York (25-37) is flaming out as we enter the home stretch of the regular season, losing six straight and nine of its last 10. The Knicks were last bested by the 76ers in a 123-108 loss on Wednesday, a game where they led by seven at the half but quickly had the tables turned on them in the second half. RJ Barrett put up 30 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the loss
Phoenix enters the contest as a 6.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 222.5.
Knicks vs. Suns, 10:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Suns -6.5
Most of the Knicks’ losses during this rough patch haven’t been particularly close and the Suns won’t have an issue covering even without Booker on the floor for another night. Lay it with Phoenix.
Over/Under: Under 222.5
Phoenix will try to do most of its work in the paint by funneling the offense through Ayton and Mikal Bridges. As a result, we’ll see a slightly lower offensive output so take the under here.
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