The New York Knicks take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night in New York. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are 8.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 229.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Knicks vs. Pelicans game.
Pelicans vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Knicks are playing some of their best basketball of the season over the past couple of weeks. Ever since losing back-to-back games to the Clippers and Lakers in Los Angeles, the Knicks have rattled off six straight wins. Granted, it has been an easy run for the Knicks in terms of their schedule, but their great run of form dates back two months at this point. Since January 21st, the Knicks have a 22-7 record. That is the second-best record in the league over that time. The Spurs are the only team with a better record than the Knicks over that stretch and New York beat them head-to-head.
New York now trails the Celtics by just half a game in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks can go level with Boston tonight, then the Celtics play the Thunder on Wednesday night. That means that the Knicks could be in sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference when they take on the Hornets on Thursday night.
The Pelicans are not having a good season. New Orleans currently sits at the top of the bottom tier of the Western Conference. The Warriors are very close to clinching the 10th and final playoff position in the Western Conference. After the Warriors in 10th place, there is a massive nine-game gap to the Pelicans, who sit in 11th place. Trey Murphy III is having a career-best season and is starting to win New Orleans some games. Murphy and the Pelicans have won five of their past seven games, one of their better runs of the season. Despite the positive form, New Orleans is days away from being officially eliminated from playoff contention, making them a hard team to back down the stretch.
Pelicans vs. Knicks pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is on the Knicks to cover as 8.5-point favorites. The Knicks have not had to leave New York in nine days. They have played the Warriors, the Pacers, the Nets (in Brooklyn) and the Wizards. Their last two home games have been absolute demolitions of teams that will miss the playoffs, beating the Pacers by 26 points and the Wizards by 32 points. They should keep that positive momentum going in the final game of this home stretch against New Orleans.
The Knicks went to New Orleans and won by five points earlier this season. However, that was the Knicks’ final win before an awful run where they lost nine of 11 games starting on New Year’s Eve. This is a Knicks team in good form and in their own building. That has been a massive difference-maker for the Knicks this season, who hold a 26-9 home record and a 20-16 road record. New York should take advantage of one more weak home opponent before heading out on the road on Thursday.
