Two of the NBA’s
worst ATS teams square off tonight in New York with the Knicks hosting the Detroit Pistons. Game time is 7:30 PM ET at Madison Square Garden.
Find out where we have decided to place our NBA picks in this matchup.
The
Pistons (4-18 SU, 6-15-1 ATS) tightened their grip on last-place in the
Central Division with a 103-82 loss in Milwaukee. Even without Stephen Jackson
and Andrew Bogut, the Bucks had no problems with Detroit. It was the Pistons
fifth consecutive loss and their second straight defeat by at least 20 plus
points. Rodney Stuckey had 19 points and Greg Monroe added 16 points and 10
rebounds for Detroit, which is now 1-10 on the road, 13.5 games behind division
leader Chicago and is within a half-game of the Charlotte Hornets who have the worst record in the NBA. In
fairness, the Pistons were without Ben Gordon (sore left shoulder), Charlie
Villanueva (sore right ankle) and Will Bynum (strained right foot). All three
are day-to-day.
Powerless
Pistons
At the moment there’s very little to like
about the Motor City Five. They’re near the bottom in every major offensive and
defensive category. Detroit is 30th in points scored (85.6 ppg) and
26th in field goal percentage (41.9). Defensively their 19th
in points allowed per game (96.1), 29th in field goal percentage
(48.1) and 28th in guarding the three (38.2 percent).
New York isn’t much better. The Knicks are 17th
in scoring (93.7 ppg) and 29th in shooting (41.4 percent). New
York’s defense is 18th in points allowed (95.6 ppg) and 29th
in guarding the three (38.9).
The
numbers that really stand out are the combined won/loss record of the two teams
(11-31 SU, 11-30-1 ATS). That’s not to mentioned the ‘under’ record of 27-14. I’ve
got to believe that there are some people making some serious money off of
these teams.
The
Knicks (7-13 SU, 5-15 ATS) are another loss or two from a full-blown implosion.
They’ve dropped eight of their last nine games and the natives are getting
restless. That spells trouble for head coach Mike D’Antoni who had nothing to
do with the ill-fated trade that sent most of his roster to Denver for Carmelo
Anthony but he’ll get the brunt of the blame nonetheless. That’s how it goes in
coaching.
The Knicks are coming off a 97-84 loss in
Houston on Saturday. Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Tyson
Chandler added 14 for the Knicks who played without leading scorer Carmelo
Anthony (23.6 points per game) who has missed the last two games with thumb,
wrist and ankle injuries. He could only watch as New York went 5 for 26 from
3-point range against the Rockets a night after shooting an NBA season-high 43
times from beyond the arc in a loss to Miami. New York has failed to reach 90
points in five of their last seven games so in addition to be a solid fade ATS,
they’ve become one of the top ‘under’ plays going 15-5 to the low side this season.
No Home
Court Advantage
In most years, getting back in your own
building and playing in front of your own fans has helped slumping teams get
back on track. So far there’s been no
home court advantage for the Knicks, who are 3-6 at MSG this season and have
lost four straight both SU and ATS.
The Knicks play 10 of their next 14 games in
the Garden but are nearly a third of the way through the season and already
playing catch-up to the eighth-place Milwaukee Bucks. They need to turn things
around during what should be a favorable stretch in the schedule.
Sportsbooks are favoring the Knicks here by 8.5 points. The betting total opened at 182.5, but early sports betting action has pushed it to 184. With the total on the rise, my decision to back the 'under' becomes even more certain.
Harvey’s Take: If Anthony returns, I’ll side with the Knicks but my
money will be on the ‘under’. I sincerely doubt either team will break the
century mark and reaching 90 points could be a stretch. Add the 'Under' to your NBA picks tonight. Go low and good luck!