Battle for New York: Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks

Who’ll leave victorious in the battle for New York when the Nets and the Knicks go to war in Madison Square Garden?

We don’t know what the betting odds are just yet. It’s still too early in the week for the sportsbooks to line the game out. But come Saturday, the lines will get released and you’ll have to check this Heritage Sports review to make sure you are getting the best options.

At the time of writing, the Brooklyn Nets are 5-8 and lost their last game. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are 4-10 and just got a win on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks are near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference, but they were still able to put up 123 points against the Cavaliers butter-sift defense. 

New York has shown flashes of potential. For example, on November 14th, they edged out the Dallas Mavericks, who are 8-5 and climbing the betting odds boards to win the Southwest. The Nets are 5-7 –as of Monday night– and Kyrie has been out with a shoulder injury. He’s looking to remain out until mid-week but then should make his return. With Kyrie back, the Nets should start winning at a better clip. I don’t think they’ll make a run for the Eastern Conference or anything like that, but they should be a .500 team.

The 10 times these two teams have gone head-to-head, they have split wins, 5-5. But the Nets have taken the last three straight. That said, the Knicks have won covered the point spread in seven of those ten games. 

MatchUp Stats Favor Nets by Four Points

At a quick glance at the overall stats, it looks like the Brooklyn Nets have a significant advantage. They are scoring 116.82 per game (7th in the league) and the New York Knicks are putting up just 100.00 per game. Each team shoots equally from three-point land, 36.18 for the Nets, 36.13 percent. The Nets also shoot 3.78 percent better from the field at 45.78 percent against the Knicks 42 percent. But what really kills the Knicks is their only hitting 65.68 from the line. Meanwhile, the Nets are about 8 percent better at 73.59.  But when we flip to defense it starts to even up a bit. The Nets have allowed 119.55 per game, No. 27 in the NBA. The Nicks are significantly better at No. 14, allowing just 109.67. 

But what about Home vs. Away?

• The New York Knicks score 97 points per game at MSG, No. 30 in the league.
• The Brooklyn Nets score 113.33 points on the road, No. 9 in the NBA.
• The Knicks hit just 68.42 percent of their free throws at home.
• The Nets hit 80.28 percent of their free throws on the road.
• The Knicks manage 31.08 percent from tre-land at MSG.
• The Nets manage just 30.49 from three-point land on the road.
• The Knicks have the No. 11 home defense, allowing 108 per game.
• The Nets have the No. 27 road defense allowing 120 per game. 

When we break down the home verses away numbers, you can see that the Nets score 16 points more per game than the Knicks on average. But, the New York Knicks defense allows 12 points fewer to be scored per game. We are left with a total scoring margin of 4 points. 

Now, this is roughly where the point spread should be, come Sunday afternoon.

If Kyrie Irving is healthy and back to 100 percent, I believe the Brooklyn Nets will edge out the New York Knicks in MSG. But, it won’t be a blowout. The Knicks very well might cover the point spread, especially if it gets bet up to five or six. The Knicks have been struggling against division opponents, and I think that continues on Sunday. But look for a close game. NY is the home team, so you never know. That tough Manhattan crowd can create an intense environment – just ask Prozingis– and it can cause momentum swings. 

Still, I would lean towards the Nets at this point. But we’ll have to keep an eye on the other games they both play this week to really have a good understanding. One team or the other could be carrying a lot of momentum come game time.