Nuggets vs Knicks Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Saturday, March 18th

Check out our free Nuggets 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.

Nuggets vs Knicks NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Denver Nuggets at New York Knicks
Where: New York at Madison Square Garden
Date: Saturday, March 18th
Betting Odds NY +2, DEN -130 | NY +107 O/U nan

The Nuggets come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 47-23. So far, the team has gone 37-32-1 against the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 1-2 straight-up and 1-2 vs the spread.

In their previous game, the Nuggets took down the Pistons by a score of 119-100. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 15 point favorites. Even though Denver trailed by 6 heading into the 2nd half, they put together a strong enough 3rd quarter to even the score. Leading the team in scoring was Nikola Jokic, as he contributed 30 points while hitting 77.8% of his shots.

So far, the Knicks have put together an overall record of 41-30, while going 40-30-1 vs the spread. Against the Nuggets, the Knicks are looking to add to their current 2 game winning streak. The average margin of victory across these matchups is 10.0.

The Knicks will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Trail Blazers by a score of 123-107. Heading into the game, they were 2 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. New York actually trailed the Trail Blazers by 6 before putting themselves on top with a strong 3rd quarter performance. Going into the final period, the team led by 10. In the win, Immanuel Quickley led the team in scoring with 26 points on a field goal percentage of 57.1%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Knicks picked up the win 106-103 win over the Nuggets. Heading into the game, New York was the 2.0 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. This has been the only matchup between the two teams this season. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Nuggets averaged 122.5 points per game vs New York, which was an increase over their season-long average. While the Nuggets saw a boost in scoring, the Knicks averaged 107.0 points per contest in head-to-head meeting vs Denver. This figure was similar to season-long average. In terms of betting, Denver has an ATS record of 4-1 in the previous 5 matchups vs New York. This mark has come on an average scoring margin of +14 points per game in favor of the Nuggets. The over-under record in these same games is 2-3, with the teams combining for an average of 216 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Heading into play, the Nuggets offense is rated 7th in the league in scoring, averaging 116.9 points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Nuggets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 12.1 made 3’s per game. If the Denver offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 14.0 turnovers per game.

Against the Knicks, the Nuggets will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 14th in points allowed.

This season, the Nuggets offense has primarily worked through Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 62 games, Jokic is 23rd in the NBA at 24.8 points per game. So far, him and Murray have accounted for 36% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 44.7 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jamal Murray is grabbing 4.0 rebounds for Denver to go along with 6.0 assists.

The Knicks come into today’s game as the 14th ranked scoring offense at 115.1 points per game. The Knicks come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 12.4 made 3’s per game. If the Knicks offense is going to improve, they could look to play at a faster tempo, as they currently average just 97.5 possession per game. This could benefit the team as they are currently one of the better 3-point shooting units in the NBA.

Against the Nuggets, 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.

Before getting a bet down on this matchup, be sure to check in on the health status of Jalen Brunson who is 2nd on the team in scoring at 23.8 points per game. At the time of this article, Brunson is listed as questionable. For the season, he is 4th on the team in usage rate and is 43rd in the NBA in player efficiency rating. If he is able to play, New York benefit from having both of their top scorers as Julius Randle leads the team and is 21st in the league in scoring (25.2). For today’s matchup, he will going against a defense ranked 4th in points allowed to power-fowards.