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A matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks used to be the highlight of the NBA schedule. Not so much lately since the teams have been scraping the bottom of their respective conference the past few years. The teams played for the NBA title three times in four years back in the early 1970s and LA’s first title since relocating to SoCal came at the expense of the Knickerbockers. That was a long time ago and both clubs are just looking to have a winning record for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Don’t miss the hardwood action from Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN. We’ll have NBA opening odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Knicks are happy to be home because they are a completely different team in the Garden. They suffered a horrible loss at Chicago on Saturday and are just 1-8 on the road. But thanks to a healthy 12-5 home mark, the Knickerbockers are hovering around .500 with a lower playoff seed in the conference within their sights. The Knicks are a good home bet as well with a 12-5 ATS record.
It’s been a good opening to the Lakers’ four-game road trip with wins over Philly and Charlotte, giving LA its third two-game winning streak of the year. They have yet to win three consecutive games but have a good chance against a Knicks team that will be playing its third game in four nights. New York is 10-3 SU and ATS in its last 13 at the Garden and will be laying a few points once the opening tip takes place.
Player to Watch
A lot is being said of Lonzo Ball as the No. 2 overall pick adjusts to NBA life one year out of college. His teammate, Brandon Ingram, was experiencing the exact same thing last season after the Lakers took him with the second pick after one year at Duke. Ingram has made the adjustment rather well and has blossomed in his second season. BI nailed a game-winning three-pointer to give the Lakers a win over Philadelphia in the first game of the trip and is leading the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game.
Ingram has taken on more of the offensive load this season taking an average of over 13 shots per game after attempting only 8.7 shots per game his rookie season. He’s been effective in his shooting as well, which shows he’s playing with more confidence. Ingram connects on over 45 percent of his field goals and has scored double figures in 11 straight games after going for 18 in a win over the Hornets on Saturday night.
Key Injury
The Knicks rank 19th in the league in scoring and will be without their second-leading scorer as Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to recover from a leg injury. Hardaway has missed the last five games and the Knicks are 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS in that stretch while averaging just over 100 points per game. Kristaps Porzingis has been the go-to scorer with Hardaway out and went for 30 on Sunday.
But with Hardaway out, the Knicks are missing the secondary scoring to take the load off Porzingis. The Lakers have the bodies in Brook Lopez, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. to take Porzingis away from the basket and they will let someone else try and beat them. The only problem is the Knicks don’t have anyone to do the job.
Free NBA ATS Picks
There’s no denying the Lakers have accumulated enough talent to at least threaten a winning season this year. But for Luke Walton, his sights are set a bit higher. While the opening of the year hasn’t been exactly what the Lakers were looking for, the coach said he likes what he sees in the club. A little success can breed a lot of confidence and the Lakers head into the Big Apple riding a two-game winning streak.
And it hasn’t been just one player doing a bulk of the damage. The Lakers have succeeded with contributions across the board. Ingram drained the game-winner in Philly with Ball nearly posting a triple-double. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle took over the fourth quarter in the win over the Hornets. Meanwhile, the Knicks are searching for some kind of direction, and while they’ve been good at home, the Lakers appear to be set to make a run.
NBA Odds: Lakers 109, Knicks 101
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