New York Knicks vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction: the Knicks are Unsuccessful At Home

Last season Portland lost on the road to New York by 30 points, but nearly everyone from the Blazers' starting five was absent. Will the visitors get revenge with a more optimal lineup?

NY Knicks

The Knicks played their last game three days ago, and a little break came in handy for the club. Yes, Mitchell Robinson is back and played two games, but now he could get an even more significant role in the rotation. Cameron Reddish might join the squad, but Derrick Rose is questionable. As for the results, New York has three wins in their last five games. Jalen Brunson has been the undisputed leader during that stretch, with 24 points and 6.2 assists per game. R.J. Barrett has not been particularly productive, and Obi Toppin, who was almost the Knicks' best backup recently, has also slipped. Quentin Grimes has been getting more time on the floor, but his strengths have yet to benefit New York.

Tom Thibodeau's team defeated Oklahoma State on the road last week, 129-119. Julius Randle, R.J. Barrett, and Jalen Brunson combined 84 points, 34 of which were by Brunson. By the way, Jalen missed only 1 of 14 two-point shots, especially from midrange, but only 1 of 6 attempts from beyond the arc was successful. Due to Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who came off the bench, New York's three-point percentage surpassed 30%.

Portland

The Blazers have been associated with Damien Lillard for the past ten years, and the injury to the star point guard has been devastating for the team. Nevertheless, Portland has become much more varied, thanks to good defense. The Oregon club has many quality defensive players. So it should be no surprise that the bookies are putting up low totals for the Blazers' games. More recently, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Shadon Sharpe have been outstanding. The latter has been a big help on offense. Keon Johnson and Gary Payton are still out with the Sickbay. The latter could very well make Portland's defense more reliable. Drew Eubanks, who has become Jusuf Nurkic's replacement, is questionable.

The night before, Chauncey Billups' team suffered their fourth loss and slipped to 9th place in the Eastern Conference. On the road, Portland failed to deal with Cleveland, 114-96. The Blazers started well but missed a lot from midrange. At the same time, the team shot over 40% from beyond the arc, with Simons and Grant combining for nine accurate three-pointers. Drew Eubanks and Trenton Watford were notable among the reserves, while Nassir Little and Shaydon Sharpe looked utterly ineffective.

Expert Betting Tips

The Knicks play a speedy, fast-paced game, probably because of Jalen Brunson. On defense, however, they're still the same, and even weakened Portland can take advantage of that. New York missed 119 points the day before and had a tough time against Phoenix as well. The Blazers have Jerami Grant, who has scored nearly 30 points in different games this season. Sharp can step up on the offensive end, and Simons can do more than shoot from beyond the arc.

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