Nuggets vs Knicks Preview: Newly Equipped Knicks Host Denver as Dogs
New York is Barely an Underdog Thanks to Recent Surge
Time to Jump on Knicks’ Line?
The New York Knicks have been on a tear lately and that’s thanks to a recent blockbuster deal that landed them forward OG Anunoby. The former Raptor has lit a fire under the Knicks’ butts and the team is 10-2 (9-3 against the spread (ATS) since. But they open as slight underdogs thanks to hosting the defending NBA champions: Denver. We uncover if the Knicks are the right side here per our Nuggets vs Knicks preview.
Nuggets vs Knicks 
Day/Time:
Records: Nuggets (31-14)/Knicks (27-17)
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Sharps Going For Denver Early
It’s tough not to get Pollyannaish about the Knicks right now. The team is quickly climbing the NBA standings to its recent run. New York is now just a half-game back from a top-four spot and three games back from the top three. But Sharps have bet against the Knicks here.
The opening spread was one point in favor of Denver. This has since moved to 1.5 or two points. Denver is 14-10 as a visitor and is only 8-15-1 ATS. But it is 4-1 ATS in its last five visits to the Garden. Denver is healthy with guard Jamal Murray coming off two 30+ point performances in two of his last three road games.
Denver is 9-0 when the star scores 25 or more points. And he’s been on a real heater lately: 24.6 points on 48.8% shooting in his last 11 games. The Nuggets have a 122.1 offensive rating in their last six road NBA games as a result. But with a porous defense, 120.8 in rating, it’s surprising not to see the totals go over more often. It’s set at a low 226.5 here.
The Nuggets are on the last game of their five-game road trip. They’ve gone 3-1 with their only defeat being against Philadelphia where Joel Embiid scored 41 points. Still, the Nuggets tend to be solid NBA basketball picks, especially with slight odds. A one-point spread is like a discounted moneyline bet.
But Denver will have quite a fight going against the best team in the NBA this 2024. New York is more than just the “cooler” team outside of this Nuggets vs Knicks preview.
The Knicks Could Still Get Better
Just how good have the Knicks been? If the 10-2 record is not impressive, how about the NBA’s best defensive rating during this span: 104.2. The Knicks have held 10 of their last 12 opponents to 106 points or fewer. They shut Philadelphia down as Embiid needed 23 shots to score 30 points.
But if we look closer, we’ll uncover why the Knicks are the underdogs and why Sharps are not too keen on taking their line. New York’s winning streak has mainly come against also-rans. Other than Minnesota and Philadelphia, all of the Knicks’ wins have come against NBA teams with losing records or losing road records (when they faced them at home).
And the Knicks have struggled against teams they were much better than, on paper. They barely beat the 7-35 Wizards as 12-point favorites. Then they lost to Orlando, at home, as a 5.5-point favorite. The Magic are just 9-14 as a visitor this NBA season. And against Dallas, the Knicks let the Mavericks score 128 points.
As much as we’d like to turn this Nuggets vs Knicks preview into a puff piece on New York, we’ll pump the brakes for now.
But the Knicks do deserve plaudit, especially for acquiring Anunoby. He may be the missing piece as the prolific two-way forward much like how Aaron Gordon was for the Nuggets. We just compared the Knicks to a champion. It may or may not be a legitimate contender. But it can start by delivering on the NBA games tonight.
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