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The New York Knicks welcome the Brooklyn Nets to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday evening. The Atlantic Division battle pits cross-town rivals against one another, with the Nets entering the night at 30-27 overall and 17-13 in road games. The Knicks are 13-16 at home and 25-33 overall. RJ Barrett (ankle), Nerlens Noel (foot) and Derrick Rose (ankle) are out for the Knicks, while Kevin Durant (knee), Kyrie Irving (ineligible), Ben Simmons (reconditioning) and Joe Harris (ankle) are out for Brooklyn.

Caesars Sportsbook lists New York as a 4.5-point home favorite, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the Over-Under, is 215.5 in the latest Nets vs. Knicks odds. Before you make any NBA predictions with the Nets vs. Knicks match-up, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 17 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 67-39 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Knicks vs. Nets, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Nets vs. Knicks:

  • Nets vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -4.5
  • Nets vs. Knicks over-under: 215.5 points
  • Nets vs. Knicks money line: Knicks -200, Nets +170
  • BKN: The Nets are 15-15 against the spread in road games
  • NYK: The Knicks are 13-16 against the spread in home games

Why the Nets can cover

Brooklyn is very good on offense from a statistical standpoint, including 111.4 points per 100 possessions. The Nets are making almost 47 percent of shots this season, ranking No. 5 in the NBA, and Brooklyn is No. 4 in free throw accuracy at 81.2 percent. The Nets also produce 25 assists per game, a top-10 figure, and Brooklyn commits only 13.9 turnovers per game. New York struggles to create turnovers on defense, ranking in the bottom five of the NBA. 

The Nets are very good in key areas on defense, leading the NBA in three-point accuracy allowed and ranking in the top 10 in field goal percentage allowed. Brooklyn also gives up only 23.6 assists per game, and New York's offense is flawed. The Knicks are No. 25 in offensive rating and No. 25 in free throw percentage, with bottom-five rankings in field goal percentage, points in the paint, and assists per game.

Why the Knicks can cover

Despite losing six of their last seven games, the Knicks still feature one of the league's stingiest defenses. In fact, New York is giving up just 106.5 points per game this season, the eighth-best mark in the NBA. 

The Knicks have also shown flashes of brilliance recently, defeating the Golden State Warriors, 116-114, on the road on Feb. 10. Julius Randle stuffed the stat sheet in that victory, recording 28 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. For the season, Randle is averaging 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He's now scored 28 or more points in each of his last six outings. 

How to make Nets vs. Knicks picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 223 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Knicks vs. Nets? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.