New York Knicks at Phoenix Suns Betting Preview

The upstart New York Knicks head to the Valley for a big game with the Phoenix Suns. The Knicks were dominated by Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Wednesday, while Phoenix took a surprising 32-point beating from the Hawks. Both teams need this win for very different reasons. NY is gunning for the #4 seed in the East, while Phoenix is battling for the #1 spot out West.

Julius Randle has been the talk of the town and the entire league throughout the season. He has been putting up big numbers almost every game, even figuring out how to drop times at a rate we usually don’t see from big men who play like Julius. He has the team competing every night, with the likes of RJ Barrett and Derrick Rose picking up the scraps and making big plays.

Phoenix, even with the big loss in their last game, is as good as they have been in a decade. You have to flip back to 2010 to find their last trip to the postseason, so this is very special. Adding Chris Paul to start alongside Devin Booker in the backcourt has paid dividends. The emergence of Mikal Bridges as an elite 3-and-D player has also helped take them to the next level.

ODDS

The spread for Friday night is currently set at PHX -6.5. The over/under is 218 points.

Knicks Seeking Win No. 38

When the schedule first came out, those making the picks were very hard on the Knicks. They projected the team to go 13-59 and probably win the lottery. Here they now stand at 37-29, in the second year of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle. The first year of the Tom Thibodeau regime. And things could not be better in the Big Apple.

They have made fools of some great teams in the league, with Randle emerging as a legitimate superstar. Nobody outside the organization could have seen this coming, but it has been terrific to watch him continually improve. Rose has found the fountain of youth, putting in big performances consistently. Oh, and they’re doing this without starting center Mitchell Robinson.

New York gets up for these types of matchups, so look for a dogfight.

Phoenix Seeks Big Win

A 47-19 record is something Suns fans probably sat on a hammock and dreamed about at this time last year. In an ordinary year, we’re in March with 66 games played, a month away from the postseason. But with the playoffs around the corner and the schedule being 72 games, they have nowhere to really go from here.

Phoenix going 6-0 would be the best remedy to make sure Utah can’t keep up with them. When you’re locked in a tight battle for the top seed, it’s important to remember how important every game is. What likely happened against Atlanta was fatigued from having an overtime game the night before.

Look for Booker to have a big game to try and lift Phoenix here.

Knicks Cover the Spread

New York will cover the spread in what will be a fun Friday night game.

FREE PLAY: KNICKS +6.5
OVER/UNDER: UNDER 218