The New York Knicks (13-10) and Phoenix Suns (13-11) will both hope to get back to winning ways when they face each other Friday evening. The Knicks are coming off a close loss to the Jazz Wednesday, while the Suns fell to the Nets at home. These teams met earlier this season at Madison Square Garden with the Suns grabbing a 116-113 victory despite both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal sitting out.
Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson is sidelined for at least the next two months with an ankle injury. Josh Okogie and Damion Lee are out for Phoenix, while Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon are both questionable.
The Suns are 5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total sitting at 232. Phoenix is -198 on the moneyline, while New York is +164.
Suns vs. Knicks, 10 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Suns -5
Phoenix was able to win the previous contest without Durant and Beal in the lineup. Both should be back tonight for only the second game where all three Suns stars have suited up together. It may take some time to iron out things, but Phoenix’s entire rotation is starting to get healthy. The Suns are just 5-8 ATS as the home team this season but they are 4-6 ATS as the home favorite.
The Knicks are 6-6-1 ATS as the road team but that mark goes to 2-5-1 as the road underdog. After a tough loss to the Jazz, I think New York struggles to contain all of Phoenix’s stars. Give me the Suns to win and cover tonight.
Over/Under: Over 232
The first game between these teams went barely under the total despite the Suns lacking some serious firepower. The Suns are averaging 115.1 points per game this season, while the Knicks are slightly behind them at 113.1. However, neither team is particularly great defensively. The Knicks are 11th in defensive rating but the Suns check in at 17th.
Phoenix is 15-9 to the over this season and New York is 13-10 to the over. With Durant and Beal in for this game, I like the over on the total.