The city of New York has had a lot to cheer about of late. The Rangers have been great. The Mets are in the World Series. The Jets are off to a great start to their season. The Giants are at least in contention in the NFC East. The bugaboo in the room though, is the play of the New York Knicks. After a couple dismal seasons, there are higher expectations in the Big Apple this year for the Knickerbockers. If this team doesn't play better against the Atlanta Hawks, you can expect the boo birds to be out early.
SCHEDULING
Typically speaking, bettors love going against teams which play back-to-backs. The Knicks were amongst the best to keep that trend going against last year, going 9-13 ATS. They were outscored by a whopping 13 points per game in the second leg of a back-to-back, the worst mark in the Association.
In this case, the Knicks have to play on the road in Milwaukee to start their season on Thursday night before coming back home to take on the high-flying Hawks.
INJURIES
Carmelo Anthony was shut down for the second half of last season with a knee injury, but he's expected to give it a go once again this year.
Meanwhile, the news isn't as good for Arron Afflalo, as a hamstring injury will likely keep him on the shelf for at least the first week of the year.
The Hawks enter this season relatively healthy, as Thabo Sefolosha is over the ankle injury he suffered while he was here in New York, of all places, at a night club.
KEY MATCHUP
Last year, the Knicks had an awful time defending the perimeter. They ranked dead last in the league, allowing teams to knock down a whopping 38.0 percent of their three-point attempts. Of course, when you go back and look at that roster which was on the court, it's easy to see how teams took advantage of New York.
Is this year really going to be any different, though? Certainly, the first game of the year presents a hard matchup for stopping the three, as the Hawks will have five players out there on every possession who can stroke it from deep, the biggest threat of which is Kyle Korver, a 49.2 percent shooter from downtown in 2014-15.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Even though Melo is back in the fold, the rest of the squad the Knicks have assembled just isn't great. Unless all of a sudden, Kristaps Porzingis proves that he's the real deal and can go off for 20+ points with regularity, scoring is still going to be an issue.
Mike Budenholzer is essentially Gregg Popovich lite, but he's got a deep enough team to the point that it isn't going to matter in this one. A starting five which has become very familiar with each other should be able to go into MSG and walk out with a comfortable win on the road.
Atlanta 105, New York 97
The NBA online odds for this Thursday game will be first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on spreads or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have access to your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks will come off the board at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Madison Square Garden. Catch the action live nationally on TNT.
