The New York Knicks aim for a third straight victory when they take the floor at home on Saturday afternoon. The Knicks welcome the Denver Nuggets to Madison Square Garden, and New York is 41-30 overall and 19-16 at home this season. The Nuggets lead the Western Conference with a 47-23 record overall, though Denver is just 17-17 on the road. Jalen Brunson (foot) is listed as questionable for the Knicks. Zeke Nnaji (shoulder) is listed as questionable for the Nuggets, with Collin Gillespie (leg) ruled out.
Denver is the 2-point road favorite for this 1 p.m. ET tip. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 230 in the latest Knicks vs. Nuggets odds. Before locking in any Nuggets vs. Knicks picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.
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 four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 22 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 64-33 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nuggets vs. Knicks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Knicks vs. Nuggets:
- Knicks vs. Nuggets spread: Nuggets -2
- Knicks vs. Nuggets over/under: 230 points
- Knicks vs. Nuggets money line: Nuggets -130, Knicks +110
- DEN: The Nuggets are 15-19m against the spread in road games
- NYK: The Knicks are 15-17-3 against the spread in home games
- Knicks vs. Nuggets picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Nuggets can cover
Denver's offense is virtually unstoppable this season. The Nuggets are scoring 117.5 points per 100 possessions, No. 2 in the NBA, and Denver is in the top three of the league in overall shooting efficiency. That includes the NBA's best field goal percentage (50.8%) with an elite 3-point accuracy mark (38.7%) to stretch opposing defenses. Denver is also fantastic as a passing team, leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.99) and ranking in the top three in assists per game (29.2) and assist percentage (66.5%).
The Nuggets are in the top five of the league in fast break points (16.6 per game) and points in the paint (55.0 per game), with Denver securing almost 29% of missed shots on the offensive glass. New York is in the bottom five of the league in turnovers created (12.6 per game) on defense, and no team averages fewer steals (6.1 per game) in 2022-23.
Why the Knicks can cover
New York has more rest than Denver before this matchup, and the Knicks also have the benefit of home-court advantage. New York has a +3.8 net rating in home games this season, and Denver is a different team away from home. The Nuggets have an elite +10.3 net rating in home games, but Denver has a negative point differential on the road. New York also has excellent opponent shooting metrics this season, making life difficult on the opposition.
The Knicks are in the top five of the NBA in field goal percentage allowed (45.5%) and 3-point percentage allowed (34.6%), with a top-10 mark in 2-point percentage allowed (53.3%). New York gives up fewer than 25 assists per game, and the Knicks lead the league in allowing only 45.4 points in the paint per game. The Knicks also succeed in keeping opponents out of transition, yielding only 12.6 fast break points per game to rank in the top eight of the NBA this season.
How to make Nuggets vs. Knicks picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the point total, with seven players projected to score at least 14 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nuggets vs. Knicks? And which side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nuggets vs. Knicks spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
