Knicks vs. Jazz Pick
Will the New York Knicks be able to contend on the road when they face the Utah Jazz tonight at 10:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Utah is favored at home, as the Jazz are getting odds of -6 points against the Knicks. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 202.5 points. Utah has won five of the last seven meetings with the Knicks, but New York has covered in three of the last four encounters. That includes a 106-101 in New York earlier this season. Tonight’s game takes place from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah and will air live on ESPN.
The Knicks are coming off a 105-99 loss at Memphis on Wednesday and they have now dropped seven of their last nine games. New York is 20-25 overall, 5-16 on the road and 23-22 against the spread. The Knicks are scoring 104.2 points per game this season while allowing 105.1 per contest. New York is allowing 107.8 points per game on the road. Kristaps Prozingis is leading the Knicks this season with 23.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while Tim Hardaway Jr. is adding 18 points and 4.2 boards per game.
Utah is coming off a 120-105 win at Sacramento on Wednesday, but the Jazz have dropped seven of their last 10 games. Utah is now 18-26 overall, 13-8 at home and 22-22 against the spread. Utah is scoring 101 points per game on offense while allowing 101.9 per contest. When at home, Utah is giving up just 96.8 points per game. The Jazz are being led by rookie Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 19.3 points per game Rudy Gobert is putting up 11.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, but he is uncertain to play tonight due to a knee injury.
The Knicks are just a bad team on the road. Their defense doesn’t show up and they don’t have enough offensive weapons to make up for it. Utah isn’t a team to rely on much either, but Mitchell has really taken the next step in recent weeks and shown he is a dynamic player. Gobert may be able to return tonight, which will help deal with New York’s decent frontcourt. I think the Jazz will be able to get it done at home thanks to the Knicks’ poor defense. The public betting is split on this one, but I will take the Jazz.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: UTAH JAZZ -6