NBA Expert Picks – Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks

Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks
Friday, January 22nd – 8:05 PM ET
Madison Square Garden, New York
Basketball Betting Spread: Lakers -6

The Week That Was: Lakers

The defending world champions notched two more home-court victories before starting an eight-game road trip that began Thursday in Cleveland, in a game played after this story was filed.

The Lakers crushed the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Jan. 15, scoring a 126-86 victory after the Clippers won the previous meeting earlier in January. The Lake Show avenged a loss to its cross-town rival by outscoring the Clips 73-36 in the second half. The Lakers committed only seven turnovers while forcing 19; they also hit 34 of 41 foul shots.

After that easy and expected victory, the Lakers hosted Orlando on Jan. 18, in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals. L.A. scored only 31 points in the game’s middle two quarters, but a 15-0 run in the first four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter enabled the home team to score a 98-92 win over the reigning Eastern Conference champions. What has to be particularly encouraging for the best team in the West is that the Lakers won without a good game from superstar Kobe Bryant. Last year’s Finals MVP scored only 11 points, but a 22-point effort from Shannon Brown carried L.A. to victory.

The Week That Was: Knicks

The past week showed that the Knicks are about as good as the below-average Detroit Pistons.

Coach Mike D’Antoni’s club began the past week with a 112-104 loss to Toronto on Jan. 15 in the Big Apple. The Knicks’ defense was nonexistent against the Raptors, who hit 53 percent of their shots and nailed 12 of 22 3-pointers. New York has always had trouble getting stops in the D’Antoni era, and that has to be the most frustrating aspect of a season that has reached the midway point.

Then came a home-and-home set against the Pistons. On Jan. 16, the Knicks lost in Auburn Hills, Mich., falling 94-90 in a listless outing. New York appeared fatigued from the start, as D’Antoni’s club scored only 60 points in the first three quarters. The Knicks made a late charge to creep within two points, but Detroit’s Chucky Atkins hit two foul shots with nine seconds left to seal the outcome. On Jan. 18, the Knicks topped the Pistons in Madison Square Garden, 99-91, behind five 3-pointers from guard Nate Robinson. New York scored just 11 points in the third period, but responded with 31 in the fourth to pull out the win.

Outlook & Pick

The Lakers will be coming off a draining evening at Cleveland the night before, so the Knicks have a shot just because of the NBA schedule maker. However, Kobe Bryant lives for the Madison Square Garden spotlight, and he appreciates how important it is to play well inside one of basketball’s greatest arenas. This game will be close, but expect Kobe to deliver the goods in the fourth quarter.

Pick: Lakers -6