Two teams trying to position themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff battle collide at the Nation’s Capital on Friday night.
The New York Knicks look to continue their winning ways on Friday. The Knicks entered the All-Star break with 3 straight wins and they are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played. New York is currently 6th in the East standings but they are just two of the 4th seed.
Washington has won 10 out of their last 14 games and they have won four out of their last five games played. The Wizards are in 10th place right now but they are just four games off the Knicks’ pace. Washington is also just one-half game ahead of the Toronto Raptors in the team standings.
The Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-101 right before the All-Star break. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 28 points while Julius Randle added 25. New York led by as many as 24 points with Brunson, Randle, and RJ Barrett combining for 38 in the first half.
Brunson is averaging 23.9 points per game in his first season with New York and he is scoring over 31 points per game in his last 10 games played. The Knicks are just 8-6 SU since Mitchell Robinson went out with a thumb injury but he may be playing on Friday as he’s returned to full practice.
The Wizards defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 right before the All-Star break. Washington rallied from a 20-point deficit in that game and they were led by Bradley Beal who scored 13 of his season-high 35 in the final 4.5 minutes of the ball game.
Bradley recently became the second player in franchise history to score at least 15,000 carer points. The Wizards are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games played. He is however questionable for this game with a knee injury. The Wizards have struggled on defense as they have allowed 113.3 points per game this season.
The Knicks are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games played against the Wizards. New York is also 3-1 SU in their last four games played in Washington.
New York Knicks SU trends:
Washington Wizards SU trends:
find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Knicks currently occupy the 6th spot and the final outright playoff entry position in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Wizards are 10th in the standings and holding the final play-in tournament position. However, these two teams are separated by only 4 games in the conference team standings and anything can still happen.
Since December 3rd, the Knicks have posted an impressive 23-14 SU record. They are currently a one-half game ahead of the Miami Heat and are also just 4 games behind the 4th place Cavs and home-court advantage in round 1 of the playoffs.
New York has a three-game winning streak and they beat the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, and Atlanta Hawks by scoring at least 120 points in each of those games. New York’s recent success has been because of Jalen Brunson who is averaging 31.9 points per game in his last 9 games played.
This will also be Josh Hart’s 4th game as a Knick and he has scored a total of 51 points in three games played while shooting 9-14 from a three-point distance. New York could also be getting center Mitchell Robinson back in this game after missing 14 games due to a thumb injury. Robinson has returned to the Knicks’ practice as a full participant.
Washington dropped to 11-20 when they had a 10-game losing streak. But they are 17-10 since then. Starting with their win in New York last January 18th, the Wizards are 10-4 and have jumped to 10th place with 14 of their remaining games to be played on their home floor.
In their last game played last February 16th, the Wizards rallied from a 20-point hole to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 on the road. Bradley Beal scored a season-high 35 points including 13 in the final four-plus minutes of the game. Beal is putting up 27.2 points per game in his last 5 games played. He missed 22 games earlier this year with an injury.
I think that the Knicks are on a roll right now and the arrival of Josh Hart has made Brunson an even better player. With a college teammate playing alongside him in the backcourt, Brunson has looked more relaxed and he is playing very well right now.
With the possibility of Robinson returning, this should be a game that the Knicks are excited about. With teams now positioning for the playoffs, look for the Knicks to be at their best.
Prediction: New York Knicks
New York is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings in Washington.
New York Knicks ATS trends:
Washington Wizards ATS trends:
With just over 20 games left to play in the regular season, both teams need to get on a roll right now to boost their playoff standings. Only four games separate these teams in the ladder so every win after the break is very important.
The Wizards have won 10 out of their last 14 games played and while that says that they are starting to play well, so are the Knicks. New York has won five out of their last six games overall, and two out of their last three on the road. The Knicks’ offense has picked up in their last three games.
New York is also a very good offensive-rebounding team which should give them extra shot opportunities here. The Wizards haven’t been an elite defensive team this season so I expect them to have a hard time slowing down Brunson. With Josh Hart also there to bring energy and scoring, New York’s offense should be too much to handle for these Wizards.
Prediction: New York Knicks
The under is 3-0-1 in the last four games played between these two teams. The total has gone under in six out of their last 8 games played in Washington.
New York Knicks over/under trends:
Washington Wizards over/under trends:
Over
224.5 (-110)
Under
224.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/24/2023
Given that these two teams are neck-and-neck in the team standings, I expect a strong defensive effort from both teams. The Knicks are 27th in pace and they should be able to dictate the tempo of this game by slowing it down. On the other hand, the Wizards are not a high-scoring team so to win this game they must try to hold down the Knicks’ scorers.
I think that New York will get its way here and score points. However, the slow pace and Washington’s mid-tier offense won’t help these teams go over the posted total.
Prediction: Under 224.5
The Miami Heat look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in…
The New York Mets head to Yankee Stadium to open a three-game series against the…
The Minnesota Twins play Game 2 of a three-game set against the New York Yankees…
The OKC Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans meet at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday…
The No.8 Atlanta Hawks visit the No. 7 Miami Heat in the first play-in tournament…
The OKC Thunder visit the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt…