New York (27-27 SU, 32-21-1 ATS) has covered five straight overall and is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games as a favorite at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will try to improve on both of those stats when they host the Lakers (33-20, 26-27), who are 4-8 SU and ATS in their last 12 visits to New York.
- Date/Time: April 12, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Madison Square Garden
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Knicks -4 | O/U 205 (Line History)
- Lakers vs Knicks Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Lakers opened as underdogs for the sixth time in their last seven games, but spotting them 4 points looked a bit too generous for early bettors. Heavy action on LA had driven the line down to 2 by the time of writing Monday morning.
Los Angeles News & Notes
It’s taken a while, but the Lakers may be starting to figure out how to win without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup. Saturday’s 126-101 win at Brooklyn was LA’s fifth in its last eight outings, improving the Lakers to 5-6 SU without their superstar duo. Three of Los Angeles’ last five wins have come by at least 10 points.
Making Saturday’s victory even more impressive — and improbable — is that Kyle Kuzma, Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol also sat out the contest with injuries. Recently acquired center Andre Drummond enjoyed his best game as a Laker, scoring a team-high 20 points and adding 11 assists, while fellow starters Dennis Schroder, Talen Horton-Tucker, Markieff Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each contributed at least 14 points. Horton-Tucker also had a career-high 11 assists vs the Nets.
Kuzma (calf), Matthews (Achilles) and Gasol (hamstring) are all listed as questionable to return tonight in what will be the sixth game of the Lakers’ seven-game road trip. Lack of bench depth and the fatigue of a long road trip might prompt LA to play at a slower pace, something the Lakers have consistently done on the road dating back to last season. Although Saturday’s game snuck OVER the total, the UNDER is 21-8 in LA’s last 29 road games.
New York News & Notes
After blowing an 18-point lead, the Knicks recovered down the stretch last night at home to beat the Raptors 102-96, moving to 3-2 SU and 5-0 ATS in their last five. Julius Randle led the Knicks with 26 points, R.J. Barrett scored 19 and Nerlens Noel supplied 13 rebounds and four blocks for New York.
Sunday’s win marked the second time in three nights that the Knicks responded well to some fourth-quarter adversity. On Friday, New York overcame a late six-point deficit to beat the Grizzlies in overtime, and after Toronto took a four-point lead midway through the fourth last night, the Knicks answered with a 9-0 run.
“Even when we were down, I just felt that we were gonna win the game,” Randle told the New York Post. “It was just time that we got over that hump and we did.”
New York continues to deliver winning tickets for bettors, especially as favorites at MSG. The Knicks, who are 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 overall, are a sizzling 9-1 ATS in their last 10 as home chalk. They’ve also covered their last four games when playing for the second straight night.
Betting Pick: UNDER 205
Even with a low total, this looks like a strong UNDER situation with Los Angeles nearing the end of a long road trip and New York playing for the second straight night.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- The UNDER is 21-8 in LA’s last 29 road games.
- New York is 21-8 ATS in its last 29 games as a fave.
- LA is 4-8 SU and ATS in its last 12 games vs New York.
