Knicks vs Spurs Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, December 29th

Check out our free Knicks vs Spurs pick and preview for this NBA game in San Antonio. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Knicks vs Spurs NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
Where: San Antonio at AT&T Center
Date: Thursday, December 29th
Betting Odds SA +4.5, NY -197 | SA +162 O/U OFF

So far, the Knicks have put together an overall record of 18-17, while going 18-16-1 vs the spread. The Knicks come into the game in the middle of a 4 game losing streak, losing these matchups by an average of -5.0 points per contest.

New York will be gunning to get in the win column vs the Spurs, as they previously lost to the Mavericks by a score of 126-121. However, because they entered as 5 point underdogs, they came away with an ATS win. New York let an opportunity for a win slip away as they held a lead going into the 2nd half of action. In the loss, Quentin Grimes led the team in scoring with 33 points on a field goal percentage of 48.0%.

The Spurs come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 11-23. So far, the team has gone 14-20-0 against the spread. Against the spread, San Antonio has a mark of 1-2. Straight up, their record is 1-2 in these games.

San Antonio is trying to bounce back from a 130-114 loss to the Thunder. Going into this game, the team was 7 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. San Antonio struggled throughout the game, as they were not able to chip home at a 10 point halftime deficit. In the loss, Devin Vassell led the team in scoring with 20 points on a field goal percentage of 53.3%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

This season, the Knicks will look to continue their strong play over San Antonio, as they won both of last year’s matchups. New York won game 1 of the series by a score of 121-111, and wrapped up the head-to-head meetings with a 121-109 victory. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Knicks averaged 116.0 points per game vs San Antonio, which was an increase over their season-long average. However, the Spurs actually averaged fewer points per game than their season-long mark. Across their head-to-head matchups with New York, the team averaged 102.5 points per game. Through the last 5 matchups between the teams, San Antonio has an ATS mark of 3-2. But, looking at the scoring margin in these games, an average of just 0 points per game separates the teams. A combined average of 212 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Heading into play, the Knicks offense is rated 12th in the league in scoring, averaging 114.6 points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Knicks will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.7 made 3’s per game. Despite struggling with their outside shot, New York remains one of the better offensive units in large part to their ability to get to the charity stripe. So far, the team is averaging 19.7 made free-throws per game.

So far, the Knicks have played well defensively, as they are ranked 6th in the league at 106.6 points per contest.

A key injury to note in this game is the absence of the Knicks 2nd leading scorer, RJ Barrett. In his 35 games, Barrett is averaging 19.7 points per game while dishing out 3.0 assists and grabbing 5.5 rebounds. In his absence, the team will be looking for even more production out of Julius Randle, who leads the team and is 26th in the NBA at 23.3 points per contest. For the season, he has connected on 46.8% of his field goal attempts while taking 18.6% of the team’s shots from the floor.

The Spurs come into today’s game as the 24th ranked scoring offense at 111.2 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Spurs will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.3 made 3’s per game. One reason that they are still scoring at a high rate, is the fact that they are ranked 9th in the NBA in possessions per contest. These increased opportunites have helped make up for the lack of outside shooting.

Against the Knicks, the Spurs will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 23rd in points allowed.

Right now there are question marks across the board heading into this game for the Spurs as there is a chance they will be without their two leading scorers vs the Knicks. Before getting any money down on this game, be sure to check who is available, as Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell have a combined scoring average of 40.5 points per game. For the season, Johnson is 179th in the NBA in player efficiency and 1st in usage percentage. Through 30 games, he has a field goal percentage of 41.5%. If he is able to take the floor, he will be facing a defense that is 7th in points allowed to small-forwards.