Nuggets vs. Knicks prediction and odds for Saturday, March 18
The Denver Nuggets have been struggling lately, but the best remedy for that is to play the Detroit Pistons and that seemed to solve their issues. Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets got a 119-100 win in Detroit and now they’re heading for the big apple. The New York Knicks aren’t quite in first place in their conference like Denver is in the West, but at 41-30, they’re a comfortable fifth.
New York has won two straight, but beating the Western Conference’s top team on Saturday afternoon would go a long way to prove that the Knicks are for real.
Let’s check out the odds for New York and Denver at MSG.
Nuggets vs. Knicks odds, spread and total
Nuggets vs. Knicks prediction and pick
In March MSG conjures up visions of the Big East tournament and Kemba Walker, but it’s still the home of the Knicks and New York will be happy to be back there for the first time since March 7. It’s not quite win or go home like March Madness, but this is a huge game for the Knicks and they might match up well with Jokic and the Nuggets, or as well as anyone can anyways.
The last time these teams played was way back in November and the Knicks won in a game that Jokic missed. However, Jokic will be on the floor on Saturday. He is scary as a scorer, but what’s even scarier is the threat he poses as a distributor. He’s constantly getting his teammates open threes, but New York is one of the best teams in the NBA at taking that shot away. The Knicks hold opponents to 34.6% from deep which is the third best of any team defensively.
The Knicks have a chance to slow down Denver’s strengths, but they can also attack their weakness, their bench. Denver tried to address the lack of depth at the deadline, but they’re still lacking in that department. Jalen Brunson is questionable, but if he plays and Immanuel Quickley is back on the bench, then advantage New York. If the Knicks hold serve with Jokic and the starters out there and win the bench minutes I think they’ll win this one at home.
Denver is 1-5 against the spread in their last six and prior to the win in Detroit had lost four straight. They’re on cruise control till the end of the year and I don’t think they’re done losing games.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
