The New York Knicks have dropped six straight games and 16 of their last 19 overall. They’re, nosediving, with suspicions circulating about coach Tom Thibodeau’s job security. Kemba Walker is sitting out for the rest of the season, Derrick Rose is still out with an injury and Julius Randle has fallen off a cliff with some horrendous play of late. It seems Knicks vs Suns game will make the Knicks struggle and they might not have a chance to win.
R.J. Barrett is the lone bright spot on this team, returning from a four-game layoff (sprained ankle) to score a career-high 46 points against the Miami Heat. Barrett looked unstoppable against Miami, until they realized they should just foul him. Barrett’s ugly line at the free-throw line saw him go 20-for-32 jn a recent two-game sample.
Knicks vs Phoenix Suns will occur on Friday night. Even without Chris Paul, the Suns are a much better club. All-Stars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton have a good chance to score 60-plus points combined against an atrocious team. Make no mistake, this Suns’ squad is elite on both sides of the ball. They boast the NBA’s fourth-best offense (113.6 points per game) and the league’s sixth-best defense (105.9 ppg). That said, the Knicks won’t be remotely competitive in this one.
The Phoenix Suns were just -4 point favorites on the road when these two teams squared off at the Garden. Phoenix ended with a 21-point blowout.
The Knicks have been playing hideous, uninspiring basketball as of late, losing in double digits to Miami and Philadelphia (twice). New York is an atrocious 2-14 against the spread in their last 16 contests. By the way, the Suns have won seven in a row against the Knicks dating back to the 2018-19 season.
I don’t see how the Knicks can recover that quickly, traveling not-quite across the country to play one of the best teams in the league.
Stay away from the New York Knicks in this matchup. The Knicks are caving, and you don’t want to go down with them. The Knicks are coming off a game in which they blew a 28-point lead to the depleted Brooklyn Nets. They’ve wasted three 20-point leads in the past few weeks
The Knicks have the lowest offensive rating (82.7 points per 100 possessions) and lowest effective field goal percentage (34.9) in the fourth quarter. So, if there’s one thing the Knicks can count on this season, it’s collapsing after getting off to a promising start to a game.