San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks Picks and Odds Dec 7
San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks betting preview for Tuesday, December 7. At the time of posting, the Knicks have opened as a 2.5-point road favorite in San Antonio, with the total sitting at 210.5 points.
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San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks Predictions
- New York Knicks -2.5 at San Antonio Spurs
- Total: 210.5 Points
- Since the start of last season, San Antonio is 5-12 on the second leg of a back-to-back.
The New York Knicks head to San Antonio for a showdown with the Spurs at the AT&T Center. The Knicks sit at 11-12 and are coming off a brutal 113-99 home loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs are 8-14 and have won 4 of their last 5 after losing 108-104 last night in Phoenix. This will be the first of two meetings between these teams, they split last season with each team winning on their home court.
The loss to the Nuggets marked the 3rd straight for the New York Knicks that includes losses to the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks started out on fire going 5-1, but have went only 6-11 since. Let’s take a closer look at their last 6 wins. Two were against lower tier teams in the Rockets and Pacers. They beat the 76ers without Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, the Lakers without Lebron James and the Milwaukee Bucks without Kris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Only the Atlanta Hawks had most of their core, but even they were missing Cam Reddish and DeAndre Hunter.
Tom Thibodeau tried to shake the team up by removing Kemba Walker from the rotation, but even that hasn’t worked. The Knicks defense ranks poorly at 22nd in defensive rating as they allow 107.3 points a game. They aren’t much better on offense as they score only 106.5 points a game, good for 19th in the association. Last season Randle looked like he could emerge as the teams top player, however this team is starting to look like a group of number two & three players.
Dejounte Murray has become the clear cut leader of the San Antonio Spurs, as he continues to make a case for Most Improved Player. Murray has averaged 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists while recording 9 double doubles and 2 triple doubles. The Spurs also have some other emerging young players in Derrick White and Jakob Poeltl. It’s a different type of team than head coach Greg Popovich is accustomed to as they score the fewest three pointers, however there are some similarities as they rank 2nd in assists. The Spurs do rank similarly to the Knicks on offense as they rank 16th in scoring. However they are far superior defensively as they are 10th in defensive rating.
The Spurs are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 head-to-head meetings with the Knicks. San Antonio has an ATS advantage as they are 12-9 ATS, while the Knicks are only 10-13. The Knicks are road favorites with a spread of 2.5 and a total of 212.5. Tired legs could be an issue for the Spurs, however they are a young team that should be able to handle the second game of a back-to-back.
San Antonio is at home and in far better recent form. We will forgo the minimal points and take the added value in a +115 money line. Dejounte Murray has been on an absolute tear as he’s easily cleared his points + rebounds + assists line in 7 straight games. The Knicks allow the 6th most rebounds to opposing point guards and there is no way they stop him from stacking points and assists with their questionable back court defense. The expected PRA line for Murray is 33.5, so we will confidently take the over.
Official Play: San Antonio Spurs ML +115
Official Player Prop: Dejounte Murray Over 33.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
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San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks from The GoldSheet
San Antonio is coming off a 108-104 loss (but a cover!) in Phoenix last night, keeping the game close despite being outshot 46%-43%, outrebounded 49-41 and having Dejounte Murray be the high scorer for Pop’s team with just 17 points. That thanks to an aggressive defense that had 12 steals and had an edge in turnovers and blocked shots. San Antonio had won 4 straight prior to visiting Phoenix, including beating Golden State, and now has 5 straight covers. New York is 6-11 in its last 17 and has lost 3 straight, so, tell us again why the Knicks are the favorite? Possibly because of the Spurs’ 5-12 record the last 1+ seasons in the 2nd of back-to-back games, and Popovich could pulls some punches. Certainly Thad Young is making no secret that he’s not okay with his role in San Antonio, but he may get his request filled for more minutes in this one facing Julius Randle, and the Spurs are pretty deep in the backcourt. Hey Thad, join the club. We’re sure Kemba Walker isn’t exactly thrilled with Thibs these days either. Play San Antonio.
Tuesday’s NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Tuesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Both New York teams are in the Lone Star State as the Nets travel to Dallas and the Knicks head to San Antonio. Join Joe Raineri, Tony Mejia, Rob Veno and Skee Profit for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks clash, from a betting perspective.
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