LA Lakers at New York
Time: 6 PM CT (ESPN)
Spread: NYK -3.5
Total: 212
Odds c/o 5dimes
The New York Knicks have been surprisingly good after having gone .500 through its first 26 games. The Los Angeles Lakers are improved, at 10-15. New York will host the Lakers in the first game of an ESPN doubleheader on Tuesday night.
The Knicks are 3.5-point favorites against Lonzo Ball and company, with an over/under set at 212 points according to NBA oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
NEW YORK
New York shed itself of Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose over the offseason, and it seems to have been an “addition by subtraction.” Though Anthony brought Enes Kanter to New York, the biggest benefit of losing Anthony has been the absolute unleashing of 7-foot-3 Latvian Kristaps Porzingis. Lingering in the shadow of ball-hogging Rose and Anthony, Porzingis often appeared out of sorts last season—and he did not attempt anywhere near enough shots. That has changed with Porzingis becoming the focus of the Knicks offense, and the benefit has been that New York has surged towards respectability. Currently, the Knicks occupy the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, if the playoffs began today.
Porzingis is averaging 25.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and two blocks per game while posting a PER of 23.5. Kanter’s PER is the team’s best at 23.6, as the efficient center averages 13 points and 10 rebounds while shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor and doing it all in just 25 minutes a game. The emergence of Tim Hardaway Jr can hardly be ignored, either.
The son of Tim Hardaway of 1990s lore, Hardaway is a different player than his father, standing six inches taller and being a swingman, unlike his point guard father. Hardaway is averaging 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, though he does shoot just 42 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three-point range.
Combining with Hardaway, Kanter and Porzingis are some effective role players: Courtney Lee is still a great defender capable of having his nights (12.8 points per game), and Doug McDermott seems to have found a role in New York as a shooter off the bench. Even the maligned Michael Beasley makes his impact as a scorer in the second unit. Jarrett Jack is still an effective backup point guard, and Kyle O’Quinn for all his inconsistencies is a great high post passer and quick scorer. Rookie Frank Ntilikina is coming along, too, and averaging 5.5 points and 3.2 assists per game in under 20 minutes a night. So, while the Knicks are a strange grouping of talents outside of Porzingis, it is not an ineffective lineup. In fact, the Knicks could be real playoff threats if the team continues to round into form and plays better defense.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
The Lakers have been guided by rookie point guard Lonzo Ball. Despite his poor shooting, there is little disputing that the Lakers are a better team with the point guard running the show. His loud-mouthed father LaVar may have set the ball extremely high for young Lonzo, but by and large, he has started to fulfill that hype. Ball is averaging 8.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, while posting a PER of just 10.5 (because his shooting percentages are so low, at 32 percent shooting).
What he has done for the offense is open things up, and the biggest benefactors have been the rookie power forward Kyle Kuzma (taken No. 27 overall) and second-year swingman Brandon Ingram. Ingram is averaging 16.2 points per game and 5.5 rebounds, while Kuzma has made Julius Randle begin to look pretty expendable with his averages of 16 points and six rebounds per game. Randle is seeing just 22 minutes a night, and after averaging a double-double last year it is hard to fathom he does not have at least a pretty good trade value should the Lakers decide to part ways with him later this season.
Former Detroit Piston Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been a disappointment, but he is still a solid defender and good shooting guard to round out a lineup. Brook Lopez’s numbers have declined since joining a more talented team, but he gives the Lakers a solid post presence even if he is one of the worst-defending 5s in the Association. And overall, that is the Lakers’ most glaring problem: Despite being a strong offensive team with plenty of talent, they still do not defend as a team. Given that New York has similar problems it is easy to understand the 212 point total, and it is one that this bettor would tend to favor the ‘over’ on.
