The top defensive teams in the NBA square off when the New York Knicks host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The Knicks (27-27) have posted back-to-back victories following a 1-5 swoon and are holding down the eighth and final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference. Short-handed Los Angeles (33-20) is 3-2 on its road trip after a surprisingly lopsided 25-point victory at Brooklyn on Saturday, improving to 5-6 since LeBron James was injured.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square. William Hill Sportsbook lists New York as a 3.5-point favorite while the over-under for total points scored is 205.5 in the Lakers vs. Knicks odds. Before making any Knicks vs. Lakers picks, 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 it has returned almost $8,900 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. The model is up almost $900 on its top-rated picks this season, and dating back to last year, it entered Week 16 of the 2020-21 NBA schedule on a stunning 93-59 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Knicks. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting trends for Knicks vs. Lakers:
- Lakers vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -3.5
- Lakers vs. Knicks over-under: 205.5 points
- Lakers vs. Knicks money line: New York -150, Los Angeles +130
- LAL: The Lakers are 17-9 on the road
- NYK: The Knicks are 16-10 at home
Featured Game | New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Why the Lakers can cover
Los Angeles ranks No. 2 in the league in scoring defense (105.8) and limited the Nets, the NBA’s highest-scoring team, to 101 points in Saturday’s victory. The Lakers finally broke out of their offensive funk, having averaged a league-worst 101.4 points in the first 10 games since James was hurt before erupting for 126 against Brooklyn. Eight players scored in double figures for Los Angeles, which connected on 19 of 34 3-point attempts.
Andre Drummond is filling a huge void inside for the Lakers, who have been without Anthony Davis (calf) for nearly two months and could be without backup center Marc Gasol (hamstring) for a third straight game. Drummond, in his third game with the team, notched his second straight double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds Saturday. He joined Bob McAdoo as the only Laker to post 20 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes or fewer.
Why the Knicks can cover
Second-leading scorer RJ Barrett (17.6 points per game) has been instrumental in the last two wins, hitting a tie-breaking 3-pointer in overtime vs. Memphis on Friday and knocking down another huge trey with 34 seconds left in Sunday’s victory. He finished one point shy of his fourth straight 20-point game and continued his hot shooting by going 3 of 6 from behind the arc. In his last seven games, Barrett has hit 21 of 32 3-point attempts.
Power forward Julius Randle followed up his triple-double against Memphis by scoring a game-high 26 points and grabbing eight boards Sunday. The No. 7 overall pick of the Lakers in the 2014 NBA Draft, Randle has scored at least 22 points in seven of his last 11 games and is averaging a career-best 22.8 points. New York allows a league-low 104.4 points per game and Sunday’s victory marked the fifth time in nine games it held an opponent under 100.
How to make Knicks vs. Lakers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 201 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time. You can get that pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Knicks vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 93-59 roll on NBA picks.