The New York Knicks take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night in New York. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are 7.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 225.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Knicks vs. Trail Blazers game.
Knicks vs. Trail Blazers prediction, preview
The Knicks have finally gotten back to their winning ways. After a dreadful start to the new year, New York has rattled off four straight wins, including two big wins over the 76ers and Raptors. Most notably, the Knicks are playing much better on the defensive end of the floor. New York has some great individual defenders like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. However, the team had not been anywhere near as good defensively under Mike Brown as they had been under Tom Thibodeau. In both November and December, the Knicks allowed over 120 points per game. Since the start of January, things have been different. This month, the Knicks have only allowed 108.9 points per game. If they can keep up that consistency on the defensive end, they will get back to being one of the best teams in the NBA.
The Trail Blazers are on a three-game losing skid coming into this game. Portland currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference. They are somewhat in no-man’s land, 3.5 games ahead of 11th place, but 3.5 games behind ninth place and six games behind eighth place. Portland seems destined to end the season somewhere in those Western Conference play-in spots. Deni Avdija has been the team’s surprise standout player, averaging 25.8 points per game this season. However, he is questionable for this game against the Knicks with a lower back injury. If Avdija misses the game, it will make it much tougher for Portland to find ways to score, and its depth starts to get very thin.
Knicks vs. Trail Blazers pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is for the Knicks and Trail Blazers to go under the total of 225.5 points. Since returning home from their West Coast trip, the Knicks have been great on the defensive end of the floor. In their last six games, the Knicks are allowing just 95.7 points per game and have not let anyone score more than 120 points. They should be able to contain Portland, especially if Deni Avdija ends up missing the game. If he does play, the Knicks have OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who match up well with Avdija. While the Knicks have been winning games, they haven’t been scoring in bunches. They have been much more controlled and methodical during this winning run. None of the Knicks’ past six games have gone over 225.5 points, and that trend should continue tonight.
