Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks is always an excellent rivalry and it continues on NBA Tuesday. The Knicks got the better of the Wizards when they met earlier this season, which should add some spice to this all-Eastern Conference matchup.
We’re expecting an even online betting market and we are excited about seeing the likes of Julius Randle, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook on the court.
Knicks Hit By Injury Bug
The New York Knicks have done well to have a record of 21-21, but it could be tough to maintain after a recent bout of the injury bug.
They now have five players on the IR, including Elfrid Payton, Austin Rivers, Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickly is listed as day-to-day.
It will be tough to win consistently with those players off the court. New York doesn’t have a deep lineup, so more pressure is added to Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.
Despite the recent injury woes, New York scored a 94-93 win over Orlando last week and a similar performance could see it defeat the Washington Wizards for a second time this season.
The Knicks ended a two-game skid with the win, after losing to Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Both losses came by five points or less, so they were credible outings for the Easten Conference outfit.
Losing to Philadelphia by three points on the road deserves some credit and that should give the Knicks confidence coming into NBA Tuesday.
Washington Comes Off Confidence Building Win
Not much has gone right for the Washington Wizards this season, but beating Utah could turn it all around.
The 131-122 performance showed the rest of the NBA that Washington is capable of beating the best teams on its day. There are no problems offensively with Washington scoring 115.2 points per game. However, defense has been the problem.
The Wizards give up an incredible 120.2 PPG. It’s not good enough for a professional basketball team, and despite beating Utah, they still gave up 122.
Despite their defensive woes, Washington should be buoyed by the win. Scoring wins over the likes of Utah could kick-start this team, which has the pieces to make a late playoff run in the Eastern Conference.
Washington is six games back of Miami in the Southeast, but it’s an even division and there won’t be much between all five teams.
The Last Time They Met
New York took Game 1 in February on the back of a 24-point performance from their leader Julius Randle. The power forward was 8/15 and 6/7 from the free throw line. He also snared 18 rebounds and three of them were on the offensive end.
Derrick Rose was playing in that game and he won’t be on court this Tuesday. However, New York did a good job at forcing Washington into taking bad shots. The Wizards shot at 38.2% and committed 14 turnovers. However, the biggest difference was on the boards and it was a sizable difference.
New York grabbed 75 rebounds compared to 47 from Washington. It was a significant advantage for the Knicks, showing just how poor Washington is at anything except scoring the bucket.
If Washington wants to get revenge on the Knicks, it needs to play defense. It hasn’t allowed fewer than 112 points since losing to Boston 111-110 at the start of March.
Despite Bradley Beal scoring off the charts, Washington’s defense and lack of energy continues to let it down.
Wizards vs Knicks Game Pick
We would have clearly had New York on top had it not been for injuries. With the likes of Rivers, Payton and Rose off the court, it’s going to be a tough ask.
However, we believe this team has the mental fortitude to overcome adversity. The Knicks are a team that needs to muster more effort than teams with a better roster, so they can pull one out on Tuesday.
New York still has Julius Randle, who is scoring 22.9 points per game. If he gets some early buckets, he could score 30+ points.
Money will likely come for Washington at the online sportsbook, but backing the Wizards with confidence is almost impossible.
