The New York Knicks take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. The game tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
New York is a 13.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 230.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Jazz vs. Knicks game.
Jazz vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Utah Jazz have fallen to 14th place out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. Only the Kings have a worse record in the conference. This is a franchise that finished atop the Northwest Division in back-to-back seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22, including finishing atop the Western Conference in 2020-21. Since that season, the Jazz have gotten worse every year. This season is rock-bottom for Utah, however. If they finish in 15th place, it will be the first time they have finished this low in the conference since 2013-14. Utah is 2-8 in its last 10 games. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic are both out for the rest of the season, Utah’s leading scorer Lauri Markkanen remains out for an extended period,and Keyonte George is questionable for this game with an illness.
The Knicks still remain in third place in the Eastern Conference. They can’t catch the Celtics, but remain ahead of the rest of the pack. New York has knocked off some great opponents in recent weeks, but the Knicks still have massive struggles on the road. The Knicks have not been the same team away from home all season. They are a phenomenal 23-9 at home this season, one of just five teams in the NBA with single-digit home losses. However, they are just 17-16 on the road after losing back-to-back games to the Lakers and Clippers coming into this one. The Knicks have been so tough defensively the last couple of months and should shut down this rag-tag group of Jazz players. However, New York will likely struggle to score as well. Jalen Brunson, in particular, has not looked like himself on the offensive end as of late.
Jazz vs. Knicks pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is on under 230.5 total points. Something changed for the Knicks defensively when the calendar switched from 2025 to 2026. New York has played 66 games this season, 33 in 2025 and 33 in 2026. In the 33 games played before the new year, the Knicks gave up 114.6 points per game. Since January 1, the Knicks have allowed just 107.6 points per game. Against this Jazz team that is lacking so much of its already scarce talent, the Knicks should dominate on the defensive end.
In six of their past nine games, the Knicks have held their opponent to 103 points or fewer. If the Knicks do that again, they would need to score 128 points or more to go over this total. Based on New York’s road performances this season, that seems unlikely. This game should stay under the total as the Knicks win with their defense.
