NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Monday, 01.04.2024
On the night of April 1, downtown New York will see a clash between the in-form teams from NY and OKC. Excitement should therefore be guaranteed at the time-honored Madison Square Garden!
My Knicks Thunder tip, for which I use the Bwin bonus code, reveals why I expect a reasonably serene NYC home win
With a record of 44-29, the New York Knicks currently rank fourth in the East, with the guaranteed first-round home advantage against the lurking Magic in fifth place (1.5 games behind) to defend.
The Knickerbockers have lost just two of their last nine games, although they were beaten in a spectacular fight by Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs in their last game in San Antonio (-4 after OT).
Along with the Celtics, Nuggets and tonight’s opponents from OKC, New York is one of only four teams ranked in the top-10 at both ends of the field.
Under the aegis of defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, the team currently has the eighth-best defense (rating of 112) and the tenth-best offense (117).
In March, they even had the second-best defense in the league behind the Magic (105).
However, the East Coast’s elite defense will be without their best wing defender OG Anunoby today, who is out with elbow problems.
Since the addition of Anunoby at the turn of the year, NYK have a brilliant 15-2 record in games with the Anglo-Nigerian, but only 12-12 without the new signing.
The possible absence of the two defensively strong centers Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Isaiah Hartenstein (wrist), who are listed as questionable in today’s injury report, could cause additional problems for the hosts’ defense.
All the more reason to rely on NYK’s offensive workhorse
First-time All-Star Jalen Brunson is currently averaging 27.9 points on strong percentages of 47.9 % from the field and 40.1 % from the three-point line.
In the last game in San Antonio, the lively guard shouldered the offensive burden almost single-handedly and scored a proud 61 points on a good 25/47 from the field and 5/13 three-pointers.
Meanwhile, the visitors from the Midwest rank second in the Western Conference with a 51-22 record.
However, they have been slightly inconsistent at the moment with two defeats in their last four games (against Milwaukee and Houston).
They were able to win their last game, without leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, convincingly with 128:103 against the Suns.
The Thunder are benefiting from the fact that Canadian Gilgeous-Alexander has confirmed his superstar season from last year and is a genuine MVP candidate with 30.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.1 steals (1st place) with strong ratings (54% from the field).
However, SGA is in danger of missing tonight’s inter-conference clash against the Knicks with quadriceps problems.
The 25-year-old is backed up by an outstanding supporting cast, from which four other players score ten or more points per game.
Rookie big man Chet Holmgren in particular is proving to be the perfect addition for SGA with 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and a phenomenal 2.4 blocks with strong shooting percentages (53.6 % from the field and 37.7 % from downtown).
Due to the probable absence of Thunder superstar SGA, I expect a slow game, which should play into the hands of the defensively strong and game-controlling Knicks.
With Brunson, they have by far the best and most in-form player in the duel and will probably want to redeem themselves for the surprising defeat in San Antonio, which was caused by poor defense.
As there is still a lot at stake for both teams, I expect a reasonably close game, which the Knicks should nevertheless win by at least four points.
In the Bwin app, this Knicks Thunder prediction is listed with attractive odds of 1.91.
If, contrary to expectations, SGA plays tonight, you should switch to bets such as “Over 214.5 points in the game” (odds around 1.91).
However, my Knicks Thunder tip is: Win Knicks with handicap -3.5.
