The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks square off in a cross-conference NBA matchup on Saturday evening. The Lakers are 25-25 overall this season, and they will visit Madison Square Garden for this matchup. The Knicks are 32-17 overall, including nine straight wins, and 18-5 in home games this season. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (Achilles, hip) are listed as questionable for Los Angeles, with Cam Reddish (ankle), Jarred Vanderbilt (foot), and Gabe Vincent (knee) ruled out. Julius Randle (shoulder), Mitchell Robinson (ankle), and Quentin Grimes (knee) are out for New York, with OG Anunoby (elbow) listed as questionable.
SportsLine consensus lists New York as the 3-point favorite for this 8:30 p.m. ET tip. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 227 in the latest Lakers vs. Knicks odds. Before making any Knicks vs. Lakers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 15 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 48-30 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning over $1,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Knicks vs. Lakers. You can head to SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Lakers vs. Knicks:
- Lakers vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -3
- Lakers vs. Knicks over/under: 227 points
- Lakers vs. Knicks money line: Knicks -150, Lakers +127
- LAL: The Lakers are 10-15 against the spread in road games
- NYK: The Knicks are 15-7-1 against the spread in home games
- Lakers vs. Knicks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
The Lakers are coming off an impressive road win on Thursday, upsetting the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Los Angeles shot 19 of 36 from 3-point range in that matchup, generating 30 assists against only seven turnovers. The Lakers are in the top 10 of the NBA in field goal percentage (49.0%) and 2-point percentage (55.6%) this season, and Los Angeles is adept at creating free throw attempts, averaging 24.6 per game. Los Angeles is in the top quartile of the league in assists (28.1 per game), with top-three marks in the NBA in fast break points (17.7 per game) and points in the paint (54.5 per game).
On defense, the Lakers are also elite in free throw prevention, yielding fewer than 20 attempts per game, and Los Angeles boasts top-five marks in defensive rebound rate (72.7%) and steals (8.0 per game). The Lakers force 13.9 turnovers per game, and the Knicks have weaknesses on offense for Los Angeles to exploit. New York is below-average in field goal percentage (46.8%) and 2-point percentage (53.3%), and the Knicks are second-worst in the NBA in generating assists, averaging only 24.0 per game. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why the Knicks can cover
Madison Square Garden has been kind to the Knicks this season. New York is 18-5 at home in 2023-24, and the Knicks are No. 2 in the NBA in net rating (+10.5) at home. Los Angeles is also struggling badly on the road, winning only eight of 25 games and posting an ugly -7.3 net rating in that sample. The Knicks are battling injury issues, but All-Star guard Jalen Brunson is capable of carrying a massive workload. Brunson is averaging 32.6 points per game on 52.5% shooting over the last nine games, including a 40-point eruption on Thursday in a win over the Indiana Pacers. Brunson is averaging 27.1 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 41.7% from 3-point range this season.
With Brunson at the controls, the Knicks are scoring 1.18 points per possession, ranking in the top quartile of the NBA. New York leads the NBA in offensive rebound rate (33.4%), and the Knicks are averaging 16.7 second-chance points per game. The Knicks are also strong in free throw creation (23.8 attempts per game) and 3-point percentage (37.1%), and New York's defense is excellent. The Knicks are allowing only 1.05 points per possession since Jan. 1, and New York is in the top six of the NBA in defensive rating (111.8) for the season. The Knicks also have a huge edge on the defensive glass, with top-three marks in defensive rebound rate (73.5%) and second-chance points allowed (12.5 per game). Los Angeles is very poor on the offensive glass, securing only 24.8% of missed shots and ranking dead-last in second-chance points (10.2 per game). See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Knicks vs. Lakers picks
The model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 232 combined points. It's also generated a point-spread pick that hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see who to pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Lakers vs. Knicks, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 48-30 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
