New York vs Atlanta Prediction: the Knicks Will Win, But Won't Overcome Gap

Atlanta has won three games in a row, but now they're going to play at Madison Square Garden against New York, who are leading the current season. Could this be the end of the Hawks' winning streak? We've got a prediction for this game. We're going to look at the line and bookmakers' odds, check out the statistics, and pick a few options for betting.

NY Knicks

The Knicks will play back-to-back games, and yesterday Tom Thibodeau's team faced Indiana on the road. This game took place after a crushing home defeat to Boston (104:131), and the Knicks, understandably, needed to rehabilitate. In the end, the New Yorkers managed to win, and quite confidently - 128:115. The result was made by Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 40 points + 12 rebounds, and Josh Hart, who had 30 points for efficiency - the best performance for a player this season.

In the last ten games, New York has eight wins, and the overall balance is 35-18. The Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, and we should also note that they rank fifth in offensive rating with 117.7 points scored per game.

Atlanta

The Hawks aren't doing as well. Quin Snyder's team has lost more games than they've won — 26 to 28 — and they're in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is coming into this meeting with New York having won three games in a row. They beat Milwaukee at home (115 to 110) and away they beat Washington (125 to 111) and Orlando (112 to 106).

On offense, Atlanta's killing it with a rating of 116.1 points scored per game, putting them sixth in the league. But on defense, they're not quite up to par, ranking 26th in scoring defense with an average of 118.6 points allowed per game.

H2H Meetings

The two teams have played each other three times already this season, and Atlanta won two of those games.

Stats Betting

• Atlanta has won three out of four previous matches against New York.
• The total points scored in these games hasn't been broken in any of the face-to-face meetings between the two teams this season.
• In five of the last six matches, New York didn't score more than 124 points.
• Atlanta scored 115 or more points in six of the last seven matches.

Expert Betting Tips

New York is obviously the favorite for the upcoming meeting, but the odds are a bit misleading. Especially in the seasonal matchup with the Hawks, the Knicks have lost two out of three games. We're taking a plus handicap on Atlanta, which is surprisingly underestimated, and we think the meeting will be productive. Both teams are in the top 10 for offensive rating, but they haven't shot the total in all three games between them this season.

Our picks: 

TO (238.5) for 1.83 

H2 (+7.5) for 1.95 

Rebounds TO (84.5) for 1.85