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On the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Hawks at the Garden, the Knicks (28-16) visit the Nets (14-29) on Tuesday.
This game projects as a mismatch as Brooklyn has gone into tank mode, losing eight of its past nine games and beginning to sell off some of its more important pieces for draft capital in an attempt to Capture the (Cooper) Flagg.
The Knicks are 11-point favorites Tuesday, although the Nets do have a rest advantage having played Sunday before a break on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Knicks vs. Nets odds
| Team | Spead | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knicks | -11 (-114) | -620 | o218.5 (-110) |
| Nets | +11 (-106) | +460 | u218.5 (-110) |
Tom Thibodeau’s group is just 2-3 in the second half of back-to-backs, with both wins coming against the 6-35 Wizards and one of those games requiring overtime.
Normally, the Knicks allow 111.1 points per game, the 10th-best figure in the NBA.
But in the second half of back-to-backs, the Knicks allow 125 points per game, a particularly startling number considering they have not played any team that is above .500 in those games.
They won’t be playing a world-beater Tuesday as the Nets have decided to allow newly reacquired D’Angelo Russell to take a steady diet of jump shots since returning, and they’re going to lose far more games than they will win.
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Of concern for the Knicks is that they typically allow teams to shoot 18.9 free throws per game, the fifth-best mark in the NBA.
That number increased steadily to 22.8 free throws per game in their five second-legs of back-to-backs.
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Their past three games were particularly embarrassing, as opposing scorers dominated at the charity stripe.
They’ve allowed teams to average a horrific 27.67 free throws per game in their past three games on the second of back-to-backs. It is very difficult to win games that way.
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However, the Nets don’t drive the lane enough to make that a serious concern in this game.
They shoot just 21 free throws per game, the 22nd-best mark in the NBA, while they shoot 39.2 3-pointers per game, the eighth-most mark in the NBA.
The Knicks could come in flat in this game, but the Nets are unlikely to change their entire game plan. Their goal is to shoot, shoot, shoot from beyond the arc and hope they hit a few. They very well might as the Knicks constantly get into firefights in these games on no rest.
On average, they’ve allowed 252 points per game, eclipsing 240 points in every game.
Take the Over on Tuesday as the Knicks look to hold down the fort against the crosstown foes.
THE PLAY: Knicks vs. Nets Over 218.5 (-110, FanDuel)
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