The Washington Wizards are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and hope to end it when they welcome the New York Knicks to Capital One Arena Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
Both sides seek their first victory in the brand-new NBA In-Season Tournament. They’ll each look to add that first victory to their ledger when the two Eastern Conference rivals meet for the first time this season.
Join me as I preview Friday’s matchup with an NBA prediction for the Knicks at the Wizards on Friday, November 17.
Knicks Finding Their Way
After a shaky 2-4 start, the Knicks have won four of their last five and seem to be finding their way. They are 4-3 as the away team and have defeated Atlanta (twice) while also claiming away victories over Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks in scoring and has recorded four consecutive 20+ point games. Julius Randle is the only New York player to average a double-double, and he’s also leading the team with nearly five assists per game.
The Knicks lead the league in points allowed per game (105.2 ppg) but are 25th in scoring. The scoring woes are mainly due to their 20th-best turnovers per game this season.
Washington is a Mess
Washington is off to a 2-9 start to their season, and that’s mainly because they are rebuilding, and offseason acquisition Jordan Poole is shooting 30% from downtown while averaging just 16.2 ppg. Kyle Kuzma leads the Wizards in scoring and has cleared his 23.9 ppg average twice in the past five games.
The Wizards score the eighth-most points per game but also allow the 28th-most points per game. That’s because they rank 26th in turnovers, and the young Washington Wizards aren’t able to keep other teams from lighting them up, and the Wizards don’t seem to care either.
Knicks vs. Wizards Best Bet
The best bet for this game is Knicks -2.5 (-110). The Knicks are 6-3-2 ATS and 3-2-1 ATS as the away side. The Wizards have dropped four straight and their last three games at Capital One Arena. Washington is 1-3-0 ATS as the home side that refuses to play defense and will get worked on the glass.
The Wizards aren’t a serious NBA team and haven’t been for a long time. Jordan Poole pouts too much and can’t seem to score like he did last season with Golden State. Kuzma is sometimes okay, but the rest of the squad just fills roster spots on a terrible NBA team, hoping for a lottery pick.
The Knicks seem to be coming around. That’s because the team is defending, grabbing rebounds, and knocking down shots. Washington only scores points, and I don’t believe they will outscore the Knicks on Friday night.
My Best Bet: New York Knicks -2.5 (-110) at DraftKings NJ
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