Lakers vs Knicks Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Tuesday, January 31st

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

Lakers vs Knicks NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks
Where: New York at Madison Square Garden
Date: Tuesday, January 31st
Betting Odds NY -2, LAL +106 | NY -127 O/U 236.0

So far, the Lakers have put together an overall record of 23-28, while going 24-24-3 vs the spread. Today, the Lakers will be looking to snap a 2 game losing streak. In these games, they have an average scoring differential of -10.5 points.

Not only did the Lakers drop their last game to the Nets. But they also picked up an ATS loss, as they fell by a score of 121-104 as 8 point underdogs. Los Angeles struggled throughout the game, as they were not able to chip away at a 12 point halftime deficit. Leading the team in scoring was Thomas Bryant, as he contributed 18 points while hitting 87.5% of his shots.

The Knicks come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 27-24. So far, the team has gone 26-24-1 against the spread. Against the spread, New York has a mark of 2-1. Straight up, their record is 2-1 in these games.

New York is trying to bounce back from a 122-115 loss to the Nets. Going into this game, the team was 0 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. In the loss, New York got off to a slow start, trailing by 13 points going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Jalen Brunson, as he contributed 26 points while hitting 52.6% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

Going back to last season, the Lakers and Knicks split their season series, with each team picking up a win at home. The average point total across the two games was 217.0 points. Similar to their season-long average, the Lakers averaged 111.0 points per game vs the Knicks. Similar to the Lakers, the Knicks scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs Los Angeles, the team averaged 110.5 points per game. When looking at how these teams have performed against the spread in recent matchups, the Knicks hold the edge at 4-1. However, the average scoring margin in these matchups has been tight, sitting at just 1 points per game. In these contests, they averaged a combined 207 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Coming into today’s action, Los Angeles is averaging 116.8 points per contest. This figure places them 6th in the league. When looking at the Lakers pace of play, they tend to play an up-tempo style of basketball. So far, the team is in the upper half of the NBA in possessions per game, averaging 102.5. If the Lakers offense is going to continue to produce at their current level, they would benefit from an improvement in their outside shooting. Currently, they are the 26th ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.

Against the Knicks, the Lakers will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 28th in points allowed.

Without LeBron James, Los Angeles will need Russell Westbrook to step up and put together a strong scoring performance against the New York today. This season, James leads the team in scoring with 30.2 points per game. Westbrook is the team’s 2nd leading scorer with 15.8 points per game, which places him 83.0th in the NBA. In his 48 games, he has hit 41.6% of his field goal attempts and is averaging 6.3 rebounds per game.

Through 51 games, the Knicks are averaging 114.3 points per contest, placing them 16th in the NBA. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Knicks are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 97.6 per contest. A key aspect of the team’s offensive struggles is the fact that they not only play at a slow pace, but they struggle to score inside. Heading into today’s game, New York is just 15th in shots made inside the arc.

Against the Lakers, the Knicks will look to continue their strong defensive play. For the year, they are the 6th ranked unit at 106.6 points per game.

On offense, Julius Randle leads the Knicks in scoring at 24.7 points per game, placing him 23rd in the NBA. Overall, Randle has hit 46.1% of his shots while accounting for 20.1% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 18th in points allowed to power-fowards. At 22.5 points per game, Jalen Brunson is the 2nd leading scorer for the Knicks. For the season, he is 65th in the league in player efficiency rating, while posting a field goal percentage of 46.9%.