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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 3/29/2024

by Spencer Toth - 3/28/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama

You’ve found the right place for all your NBA betting needs, and Doc’s Sports has a proven track record of bringing you consistent winners. We will be breaking down every single New York Knicks game and providing moneyline, spread, total, and player prop bets throughout the season.

On Wednesday night, the Knicks routed the Raptors 145-101, for their widest margin of victory of the season. They saw 6 players score 15+ points, and the Knicks vaulted themselves into 3rd place in the East with the win. New York secured season highs in points (145), 3 pointers (22), and Assists (37), and was the most points scored in regulation in 45 years for the Knicks. The 44-point defeat was the biggest home defeat in Raptors franchise history and was the 11th consecutive loss for the team.

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From a betting perspective, we had a 1-1 night. The Knicks easily covered the 13.5-point spread in their mammoth victory, but their offensive explosion resulted in the 212-point total sailing over.

Tonight, the Knicks (44-28) look to extend their hot streak against another bottom feeder, the San Antonio Spurs (17-56). San Antonio has ROY frontrunner Victor Wembanyama leading the charge, and his impact on the floor cannot be overstated. His defensive awareness, combined with his incredible physical attributes, have made it so teams don’t even drive into the lane when his limbering body is parked in the paint. In my humble opinion, Wembanyama is deserving of DPOY in his rookie season, as his impact has been far greater than Rudy Gobert’s. The Spurs defensive rating plummets a whopping 11.5 points lower when Wembanyama isn’t on the court, as they are a glorified G-League team without him. There haven’t been many bright spots for the Spurs this season. However, when they pick up another stellar draft pick to accompany Wembanyama in the rebuild, the Spurs will be on an upward trajectory sooner than later.

The Knicks got a huge lift in their blowout win over the Raptors on Wednesday, as Mitchell Robinson returned from a 50-game absence. Robinson was off to the best start of his career and was the anchor for the Knicks defense before he got hurt. Isiah Hartenstein blossomed into a legitimate starting center in his absence, but there is no question that Robinson provides a significant upgrade on the defensive end over his competition. Despite coming off the bench, his impact was noticeable in his return to the lineup, going a perfect 3/3 from the floor, and adding 2 blocks in just 12 minutes of action. After a devastating ankle injury that needed surgery, it’s not surprising to see the Knicks gradually reintroduce him back into the lineup. A Friday night game against the lowly Spurs will be another step in the right direction, as Robinson will be needed if the Knicks are to make a deep playoff run.

The absences of OG Anunoby and Julius Randle still loom large, but the Knicks honestly have a title challenging team without them. Jalen Brunson continues to develop in his second season with the Knicks and is more than capable of being the man tasked with hitting crucial shots down the stretch. Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart have been excellent on both ends of the court, and the Knicks should have no problems putting another big win on the board against the Spurs.

San Antonio does have some positives, such as Wembanyama’s highlight reel plays, but there are far too many gaping holes to warrant a close game against the surging Knicks. The Spurs inefficiency on offense will be exposed against a solid Knicks defense, who will surely be getting reamed out by Tom Thibodeau for allowing triple digits against the Raptors, despite the big win. They shouldn’t have too many issues holding the 27th ranked offense to under 100 points on Friday, as they have the size to deal with Wembanyama inside, and the hustle on the defensive end to scoop up the loose balls. The Spurs turn the ball over far too frequently, and the Knicks active hands on defense will cause countless balls to be tipped into the hungry paws of the Knicks defenders. The gap in class between these teams on both ends of the court will ensure this game remains uncompetitive, despite the fact it’s going down in San Antonio.

The 10-point spread is daunting for a road team, but the Knicks are more than capable of covering it. The Knicks are a perfect 3-0 ATS when they are double digit road favorites, as they have no mercy when pumping up the scoreboard in front of the opposition’s home fans. The Spurs lack the backbone to fight to keep this one close, and the Knicks shouldn’t have too many issues running up the score. The opposition hasn’t been the stiffest, but the Knicks have allowed just 97.6 PPG in their last 8 games and have 7 wins to show for it. The Knicks used a 33-17 first quarter to build a big lead against the Spurs last time these two met and showed no mercy as they kept that margin intact throughout the contest. New York has been reliable at covering these big spreads on the road and will be able to do so again against the Spurs. Lay the points.

For the second bet of the night, we’ll be taking Isiah Hartenstein Under 8.5 Rebounds. Hartenstein played only 18 minutes in the Knicks blowout win over Toronto on Wednesday, and coincidentally Miles Robinson made his return. Robinson looked mobile and utterly dominant in his limited minutes. And as he progresses, Hartenstein’s minutes will dwindle. Even with Robinson out and Hartenstein thus getting 25+ minutes per game, he still only cashed this prop in 6 of his last 17 games. This is a generous line, and Hartenstein is likely capped to 6-7 rebounds in tonight’s game.

Pick: New York Knicks (-10) 2 Units

Pick: Isaiah Hartenstein Under 8.5 Rebounds 3 Units

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 11-4

Spread Record: 23-17

Total Record: 15-12

Player Props Record: 18-31

Total: 67-64

Up 7.3 Units

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