It hasn’t been the best of times for New York’s basketball teams with the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks combining to win just one of 17 games ahead of their matchup on Wednesday night in the opener of an ESPN doubleheader. You don’t often see a championship favorite struggle the way the Nets have leading to a big change in their roster makeup. The Nets dropped their 11th consecutive game, 115-111 to Miami on Saturday after dealing James Harden in a major roster shakeup. They’re still in a better position than the Knicks, though, who return home after a 1-4 road trip.
The contest between the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Wednesday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
We’ll never know what could have been for the Nets. The acquisition of Harden last year teamed three of the biggest names in the game, but Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving rarely had moments together on the court. The experiment officially ended at the trade deadline with Harden playing his way out of Brooklyn in a deal for Ben Simmons. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. KD has been working out and is close to returning while Simmons should slide into the lineup soon. But until then the Nets may have to endure some more lumps. They lost for the 11th straight time on Saturday in Miami, though they did cover the spread for just the second time in that span. Overall the Nets are still above .500 at 29-27 but they are just 21-33-2 ATS.
Following last season’s playoff appearance the Knicks looked like a team on the rise. The expectations may have been too much for them, however. They ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Warriors last week, but couldn’t continue the momentum with a loss in Portland two days later, their eighth loss in 10 games. New York was 2-8 ATS in those games. The Knicks enter the week outside the top-10 in the East but are just 1.5 games behind the Hawks for the 10th seed and a play-in spot.
Brooklyn Nets
If things weren’t bad enough for the Nets having lost 11 straight games, they will have to play the next four without Irving due to New York’s COVID vaccine mandate. And with Durant still on the shelf and Harden off to Philly, the big three is for now the big zilch. The Nets did get some depth pieces in the Harden deal with Seth Curry and Andre Drummond likely to play on Wednesday, bringing some help to the roster. But Irving will be missed after nearly bringing his club back from a big deficit in Miami. He scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter.
At least the Nets have gotten used to Irving’s part time status, though it hasn’t really helped in the win/loss column. Steve Nash feels his group has grown accustomed to the situation. It does leave a hole in the lineup, though. And with KD out and Simmons not expected to make his debut for a few more games, the Nets have a thin roster with plenty of questions.
New York Knicks
This is a good spot for the Knicks to get a win over their neighbors. But wins have been hard to come by with only one in their last six games, two in 10 games and three in their previous 14. They haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game streak in mid-January. They are just 2-7 in nine games following their 112-103 loss to Portland as a 4.5-point dog. Every now and then we see glimpses of what the Knicks are capable of. Their only win on a recent five-game road trip came against the Warriors, 116-114, when catching 9-points on the closing line.
Julius Randle is a stud scoring 28 points with 16 rebounds in the upset of Golden State. He had the exact same numbers against Portland when the Knicks led a 23-point third quarter lead slip away. For a team that prides itself on defense the Knicks haven’t been very good during a 1-5 SU and ATS stretch. They’ve allowed opponents to score at least 112 points in every outing with the OVER at 4-2.
NBA Odds Pick
Until the Nets get their pieces in place and find some continuity with the roster they could skid even more. Without Irving for this matchup they’ll leave points on the floor. And the Knicks are in desperation mode with the losses piling up. I don’t expect an abundance of points and that favors the home team.
NBA Odds Prediction: Knicks 107, Nets 101
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