Prometheus NBA picks 1/21/18

Hello friends, welcome to my NBA series picks, I will discuss the Lakers vs Knicks game.

The Game

The Knicks visit LA, in what is sure to be a very entertaining game. LA are playing without Lonzo Ball. Listed as questionable, are Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Normally, I would put this game at a coin toss, when both teams are healthy, but oh man, this is not the case here. The Knicks have been inconsistent this season to say the least, they have a garbage record when playing on the road, at 6/16. The Lakers have pulled put off a very surprising win at home, against Indiana at home last game, while the Knicks are also coming off an underdog win in Utah. So what's the advantage in picking this game? Well, my answer is simple. The Lakers are ridiculously bad this season without Lonzo Ball. I know, I know, the kid gets a a lot of hate, and they won last game against Indy without him, but in my opinion that was a statistical anomaly. Jeremy Clarkson dropped 33 in that game, which is absolutely not going to happen twice in a row.

Stats

The Knicks (21-25), are just bellow average when it comes to scoring, 19th in the league at around 104.5 points scored per game. They have a better than average defense, allowing 105.3 points. Conversely, the Lakers (16-29) have a better offence but one of the worst defenses in the league, allowing around 110 points per game. Looking at the last 6 games, the Knicks have lost four, but are looking to build on that Utah win. The Lakers have won 4 of their last 6 games, but have a 9 game losing streak just before that.

Prediction

My mind is pretty made up here, even though Vegas has not released the lines yet. I expect this game to be a Knicks win, easily. I will edit this post, putting the lines when Vegas releases them. They should be at about +1.5 for the Knicks in my estimation.

Update: Vegas has given us lines for this game. It's New York, at -1.5. I still like The Knicks here

Point Spread, New York Knicks, - 1.5 , 2 units (1.91 odds)