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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 3/25/2024

by Spencer Toth - 3/25/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons Miles McBride

This season, Doc’s Sports will be breaking down every single New York Knicks game and giving out best bets along the way. By using in-depth knowledge on the Knicks, and the NBA as a whole, we will be able to churn a consistent profit by the season’s end.

On Thursday night, the Knicks had their 4-game win streak snapped by the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets won all 4 quarters en route to their 113-100 victory, despite scoring just 13 bench points. Nikola Jokic posted a 30-point triple double, while Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray scored 31 and 23 points, respectively. A shorthanded Knicks lineup was never likely to walk away from Denver with a win, and a 3-1 record on their road trip will keep them in a nice position going forward.

From a betting perspective, we had another profitable night. We unloaded the clip with a 4 Unit bet on Over 207.5, which cashed with ease. It was an abnormally low total for a Denver game, and we took full advantage. We lost a single unit on the Knicks (+9.5), which was reasonably close throughout the game, but we fell just short.

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New York got back to winning ways in a Saturday matinee against the Brooklyn Nets, beating them 105-93 after holding them to just 36 second half points. Donte DiVincenzo and Miles McBride led the way with 57 combined points, as New York was the better team on both ends of the court.

Tonight, the Knicks (42-28) will look to keep their newfound momentum going, as they get a visit from the lowly Detroit Pistons (12-59), who are merely playing out the rest of the season. The Pistons were expected to have a 30+ win season as they came out of their rebuild. However, between injuries, poor coaching, and plenty of close losses, Detroit finds themselves in the basement of the league once again. Earlier this year, they set the record for longest single season losing streak, dropping 28 straight games in November and December. There is nothing to play for from a team perspective for the Pistons. However, with a roster filled with low tier NBA players, every player on the court will still be fighting for their place in the league, and will not take any nights off.

The Pistons don’t have many strengths, as they are bottom 10 in PPG, FG%, 3 PT%, Steals, Turnovers, Offensive rating, and Defensive rating. Injuries have certainly been a factor, but despite owning top 5 picks in each of the last 3 seasons, the Pistons have been unable to find the man to lead them into playoff contention. Cade Cunningham is wrapping up his 3rd season in the NBA, and has turned into a reliable offensive threat. His 22.1 PPG on a 35% clip from deep with 7.6 Assists are all career highs, and the young man remains on an upward trajectory. However, the Pistons are on the second night of a back-to-back, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Detroit rest players, and for Cunningham, who sat out last night, to take a seat once again.

A full-strength Pistons squad will be unable to compete with a Knicks team missing three of their starters, which should tell you all you need to know about where Detroit is in the power rankings. The 16-point spread in favor of New York is not surprising for anyone, and this is a game the Knicks can absolutely not afford to drop. They are in the middle of playoff jostling, as just 1 game separates 3rd and 5th, which could go a long way in determining 1st and 2nd round playoff matchups. New York is still dealing with injuries, as OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson have all missed significant time, but they’ve managed to stay afloat. If the Knicks can get some of their stars back before the postseason, they have a chiseled rotation. Players like DiVincenzo, McBride, and Precious Achiuwa would not have been given as many minutes as they’ve got in recent weeks if it were not for the injuries, and it has allowed the Knicks to develop an incredibly deep team. Since Randle and Anunoby went down with injuries on January 27, the Knicks have gone 13-11, holding onto their 4th place seed.

Tonight, while the Knicks can’t take anything for granted, anything short of a comfortable home victory against the Pistons will be quite the shocker. Detroit will be fatigued from last night and have yet to submit their injury report. We are going to assume Cunningham will be sitting once again, and Jalen Duren could also be joining him on the sidelines, as the serial rebounder missed last night’s game with a back injury. New York has the talent and depth to put on a show for the New York faithful. And while 16 points is a daunting number for New York to cover, it is something they’ve done several times this season. In fact, 17/42 wins for the Knicks this year have been by 16+ points. And considering they are at home, against the worst team in the league, with a serious rest advantage, another big win is on the cards. For the first bet of the night, we’ll lay the points with the home team.

For the second bet of the evening, we’ll be taking Miles McBride Over 2.5 3’s. McBride has gotten 48, 47, and 44 minutes in the last 3 games, scoring 13 3’s over that span. McBride is one of the few players in the league that can truly handle 48 minutes of action, as his cardio is incredible. There is no doubt he’ll get his minutes, and his willingness to let fly from deep in recent weeks has me confident he’ll have his chances to knock down big triples. The Pistons are 22nd in the league in 3 point defense, and McBride will be able to take advantage of a favorable matchup against Evan Fournier or Marcus Sasser to get over his prop.

Pick: New York Knicks (-16) 1 Unit

Pick: Miles McBride Over 2.5 3’s 1 Unit

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 11-4

Spread Record: 21-17

Total Record: 15-11

Player Props Record: 18-30

Total: 65-62

Up 8.4 Units

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