New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets: City derby that solves nothing

Both teams have solved their problems, or, more accurately, did their best. Brooklyn clinched the play-in, and the Knicks will have to wait for next season, but tonight may very well be an entertaining matchup with no pressure.

But that won’t change the outcome now. Last season’s success is a thing of the past. Julius Randle’s stability, and the overall play of Tom Thibodeau’s entire team, is the problem.

But if we talk about the second half of March, the team is putting up a good and solid performance since the 17th in 11 meetings; the team has collected 7 wins with 4 losses, but with games in the home Madison Square Garden, only two of the 6 games the Knicks have achieved victories.

Tonight’s game will be played without Julius Randle, but Barrett has won games for the team before. Why not do the same tonight and get their only derby win of the season?

It might not be a bad thing for the Nets to play more games right now, for Kyrie and Durant it’s a chance to play together after the constant disruptions to their presence on the court.

The final stretch in April didn’t start most pleasantly, with two losses to Atlanta and Milwaukee and a win in the last game against Houston. Brooklyn will play two more games, including one against Cleveland, who are in 6th place in the East, all of which is a good test before the play-in. It’s also a test for the Nets’ star tandem.

There is very little chance for a win for a weakened New York, especially since Durant and Irving now need not only to spend more time on the court together but also to pick up wins. Today’s status as a favorite is not in doubt. This season, all three games ended in wins for the Nets, but they weren’t particularly productive. The teams went Total Over 220 only once on December 1 (112-110), the other two games were even drier (111-106) and (110-107), but importantly, there was never a significant advantage, so a tidy head start in favor of the visitors is worth considering.

• Total Under (232.0) for 1.67;
• Brooklyn to win both halves for 2.90.

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