The New York Knicks are lining up losses to get Zion Williamson in the draft and they haven’t helped bettors along the way either, going 6-11-1 ATS during their 18-game skid. Before the league breaks for the all-star weekend, the NBA has gifted us this gem of a basketball game as the Knicks, on a back-to-back, visit the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta opens as a 7.5-point favorite with the total at 225.5.
- The total has gone UNDER in nine of New York’s last 12 games.
- Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last five games when playing at home against New York.
- The total has gone UNDER in three of the Knicks’ last four games vs the Hawks (avg. combined score: 217.0).
New York is a Bad Basketball Team
The Knicks are scoring an average of just 99.6 points per game over their last 15 games, which is dead last in the league. They’re also -10.5 on average, which is No. 29 in the league over the same stretch.
It’s not like they aren’t getting their looks. New York is playing with the same pace as the Toronto Raptors this season. The Knicks are just really poor shooters – the worst in the league, in fact, at 43 percent.
New York is also the sixth-worst defensive team in terms of opponent field-goal percentage and scoring defense. Ironically, their defense has actually been a little better during this recent losing streak but their offense has flat-out sucked.
Atlanta has the No. 30 Scoring Defense
And then there’s the Hawks. Atlanta is surrendering 118.4 points per game on average over the course of the season and 121.5 points per game in its last 15. The Hawks are 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games, which has quickly made us forget about their 5-1 run back at Christmas.
There has been a bright spot for the Hawks, though, in their last 15 games as they are No. 8 in three-point shooting (37.7 percent) and No. 10 in field-goal percentage (47.4) during that stretch.
My Pick For Tonight
I’m not taking a side in this game and, frankly, I won’t be watching it. Atlanta has been a favorite just three times this season and is 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS in those games.
The team total for the Knicks tonight is listed at 108.5, a number they’ve only eclipsed twice during this 18-game losing streak. New York scored 111 points last night and hasn’t scored more than 108.5 points in back-to-back games since December 17 and 19.
So, if I had to make a pick on this game, it would be UNDER 108.5 points for the Knicks, but I’m not making a play on this one at all.
