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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 3/27/2024

by Spencer Toth - 3/27/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors Gradey Dick

Throughout the regular season, Doc’s Sports will be providing best bets for every single New York Knicks basketball game. By using knowledge on the Knicks, and the league as a whole, we’ve been able to profit this season and have shown no signs of slowing down.

On Monday night, the Knicks made quick work of the lowly Pistons, winning 124-99 after taking a 29-point lead into the fourth quarter. Donte DiVincenzo had the best night of his career, scoring 40 points while shooting 11/20 from behind the arc. Josh Hart delivered his 4th triple double in the last 11 games, as the Knicks continue to find ways to win without a trio of their starters. The role players have been stepping up. And if Julius Randle and/or OG Anunoby can get healthy before the postseason, New York has a suddenly deep team capable of making a lengthy playoff run.

From a betting perspective, we had an uneventfully even night. The Knicks were able to cover the 16-point spread as expected, but Miles McBride had a cold night from behind the arc, going just 1/7 and leaving us even on the night.

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Tonight, the Knicks (43-28) head to Toronto to take on the plummeting Raptors (23-49). Toronto has lost 11 straight games, and there is really no light at the end of the tunnel for the Raptors. They traded away OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, and Dennis Schroder this season, leaving them with an unrecognizable starting lineup. To make things worse, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl are all injured, and are unlikely to return this season. The Raptors have lost 11 straight games, and their starting lineup is filled with players making their NBA debuts. The cherry on the cake is that Jontay Porter has been removed from the team, as the NBA probes into serious gambling allegations regarding a pair of early exits earlier this season.

As the dust settles in Toronto, they are being forced to put out lineups, and compete for the fans. Gary Trent Jr, Gradey Dick, and Kelly Olynyk are suddenly the leaders of the team, which doesn’t leave the Raptors in a very desirable situation. Trent Jr. and Dick are both capable shot makers. However, without shot creators around them, they have struggled to get going. Olynyk can dish out dimes, logging 19 assists in his last 2 games, but it is still not enough to imagine the Raptors competing with any competent NBA franchises. Not only have the Raptors lost 11 straight, but that’s included defeats against the Pistons, Wizards, Nets, and Trail Blazers, all teams well outside the playoff picture.

The Knicks will not be complaining about taking on a depleted Raptors squad, especially considering the injuries of their own. It’s remarkable that the Knicks have held onto their 4th place spot in the standings despite their injuries, and this is a very winnable game they cannot afford to drop. Even though New York is on the road, they are still coming in as whopping -1000 favorites to earn the victory. Jalen Brunson is clearly the best player on the court, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say no one on the current Raptors lineup would crack into the starting five for the Knicks. New York is a very deep team, and they’ve needed to lean on strong defense to gut out wins down the stretch. They’re in a precarious spot in the standings, as they are just 2 games back of the second seed, but only 4.5 games ahead of the 8th seed. There is still plenty to play for down the stretch for the Knicks, and they will be hoping they can get a good seed and give Anunoby and Randle as much time as possible to recover.

In tonight’s matchup, the Knicks are -1000 on the moneyline, and massive 13.5-point road favorites against Toronto. This spread is hard to argue with considering the trajectory of the two franchises. The Knicks have won 7 of their last 9 games, holding their opponents to under 100 points in 7 of those contests, too. They may lack the scoring to blowout teams on a consistent basis, but their truly elite defense is capable of smothering teams into submission. The Raptors have a very stagnant offense, as they lack the playmakers to set up their talented shooters. The Knicks will be licking their lips at the chance to add another double digit scoreline to the win column. Toronto is not only missing the players to compete, but they are missing the will to win. They’ve traded away their first round pick this season, unless it’s a top 6 pick. Toronto is currently in 6th to last place, just one game behind Memphis for 7th to last. It’s no coincidence they’ve lost 11 straight games after they were dealt the injury news to Barnes and others, and there is absolutely no reason for Toronto to even try and keep this one close at home. It’s a thick line, but I’m more than confident enough to lay the 13.5 points with the Knicks.

For the second bet of the night, the Under is an obvious play. The total is sitting at 212 points, which is pretty average for the Knicks. However, after attending the Raptors 96-88 loss to Brooklyn on Monday, I find it incredibly difficult to imagine the Raptors hitting triple digits. The crowd was flat as a glorified scrimmage went down at Scotiabank Arena. There is no will to win for Toronto, and a pair of banged up teams will not risk further injury with a high intensity game. When the Raptors are held under 90 points for the third time this week, the 212-point total won’t even come close to hitting. Grab the Under.

Pick: New York Knicks (-13.5) 1 Unit

Pick: Knicks vs Raptors Under 212 2 Units

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 11-4

Spread Record: 22-17

Total Record: 15-11

Player Props Record: 18-31

Total: 66-63

Up 8.3 Units

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