NBA Basketball
2012-03-23 - New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NBA Basketball
Friday 23 March 2012 - Tip Off 7pm ET
11pm (British Standard Time)
Preview
The New York Knicks (23-24) earned a huge win at Philadelphia on Wednesday evening to improve to 5-0 under Mike Woodson and also put them in a decent spot to try and chase down the Atlantic Division leaders who they trail by 3 games. The Knicks cannot afford to get slack as the regular season draws to a close, as they currently lead the Milwaukee Bucks by just 1.5 games in the final Eastern Conference Play Off berth.
They should feel confident they can record another win as they visit Canada to face the Toronto Raptors (15-32), a team that has lost their last 3 games and were blown out by the Knicks just a few days ago.
New York have begun firing on the offensive side of the court as they have averaged over 105 points per game in their 5 game winning run, all while not getting the very best out of Carmelo Anthony. However, it is their defense that has been the most impressive aspect of the team as they have held teams to 86.6 points per game in this 5 game winning run.
Toronto have been struggling with their defense as they are allowing opponents to shoot at 50.7% from the field in their last 4 games, while they were outscored by 19 points in the final quarter as they blew a 12 point lead over the short-handed Chicago Bulls.
Andrea Bargnani has really had a hard time since returning to the rotation following a calf injury, averaging just 12.5 points per game in the 8 games since his return. That is a far cry from the 23.5 points per game he averaged in the first 13 games he played this season, but he has said it is down to bad play that he is struggling rather than any lingering issues with his calf.
Jerryd Bayliss looks set to miss out for the Raptors and that will be a big miss as he has averaged 14.3 points per game in March.
Head to Head
New York have won 6 of the last 7 meetings in the series between the teams, although they are only 4-3 against the spread in those games.
The Knicks have won on their last 3 visits to Toronto, winning those games by an average of 8.3 points per game.
Toronto are 12-9-1 against the spread at home this season, New York are 10-13 on the road.
Toronto are 21-16-1 against the spread as the underdog, New York are 13-14 as the favourite.
Other Interesting Trends
Toronto are 6-2-1 against the spread in their last 9 games as the home underdog.
However, they are just 16-36-1 against the spread in their last 53 games following a double-digit loss at home.
New York are just 2-5 against the spread in their last 7 games as the road favourite of between 5 and 10.5 points.
Prediction
I am going to continue riding the hot streak that New York have picked up in recent games and will take them to cover for the following reasons:
First, the Knicks have dominated the recent games in the series between the two teams, have played well in Canada, and blew out Toronto a few days ago.
Second, the Knicks have covered the number in their last 6 games, while Toronto are 2-6 against the spread in their last 8 games.
Third, the Knicks are 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 games when playing the first of back to back nights scheduled.
The Pick :
Toronto Raptors 86-96 New York Knicks
