Blake Daniels, March 14, 2023

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The New York Knicks visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at the Moda Center.

New York ended a three-game losing streak with a big 112-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. The Knicks are 6th in the East team standings and are trying to hold off the 7th-seeded Heat who are three games back. At the same time, the Knicks are trying to overtake the Brooklyn Nets to the 5th spot as both teams are currently 10 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks.

Portland has lost its last three games played The Blazers have only won thrice in their last 11 games played. They were beaten by the Charlotte Hornets 127-110 last Sunday and are 31-37 SU on the season and just in 13th place in the Western Conference team standings. However, the Blazers are just two games off the 10th seed and entry to the play-in tournament.

New York Knicks

The Knicks ended a three-game slide with a much-needed win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles last Sunday. Julius Randle scored 33 points while RJ Barrett put up 30 as the Knicks got back on track by gutting out a gritty win in Los Angeles as +2.5 point betting underdogs.

The Knicks shot just 11-37 from deep but overall, they were 47.7% from the field. New York outscored Los Angeles 56-60 in points in the paint. Jalen Brunson missed Sunday’s game and is expected to miss Tuesday’s contest in Portland.

New York ranks 5th in the NBA this season at 117.0 points per 100 possessions but is only 25th in FG accuracy at 46.4% from the floor. The Knicks are giving up an average of 114.3 points per game, 14th overall, and allowing opponents to shoot only 45.6% from the field, 3rd best in the NBA this year.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers suffered their third consecutive defeat after they were beaten by the New Orleans Pelicans 127-110 last Sunday. Portland has dropped 8 out of its last 11 games played and they went 2-4 on their just-concluded road trip. Damian Lillard missed the game versus the Pelicans with hamstring tightness and he isn’t expected to play on Tuesday either although is listed only as questionable.

Anfernee Simons led the Blazers with 17 points and four assists while Shaeldon Sharpe and Kevin Knox each scored 14 for Portland. The Blazers trailed by as many as 39 points in that game and they gave up 35 assists to the Pelicans. Portland had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 26:19 against New Orleans.

The Blazers rank 7th in the NBA in offensive rating at 117.0 points per 100 possessions. They are 10th overall in FG shooting at 48.0% and are allowing 117.8 points per game this season. Portland is also allowing opponents to shoot 48.7% from the floor, 26th overall in the league.

Knicks vs Blazers SU Prediction

The Knicks are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played against the Blazers. New York is also 0-5 SU in their last 5 games played in Portland.

New York Knicks SU trends:

• The Knicks are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games played.
• The Knicks are 21-14 SU in their last 35 road games.
• The Knicks are 6-7 SU in their last 13 road games against the Eastern Conference.
• The Knicks are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played against the Northwest Division.

Portland Trail Blazers SU trends:

• The Trail Blazers are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games played.
• The Trail Blazers are 4-8 SU in their last 12 home games against the Eastern Conference.
• The Trail Blazers are 10-17 SU in their last 27 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Trail Blazers are 4-12 SU in their last 16 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Trail Blazers are 4-8 U in their last 12 games played in March

The Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday when they defeated the streaking Los Angeles Lakers 112-108 at Crypto.com Arena. Julius Randle followed up his worst shooting performance with 33 points to lead his team to victory. That game came one day after Randle shot 5-24 from the field during a 106-95 loss to the L.A. Clippers.

On Tuesday, Randle will be looking to score 30+ points for the 5 times in 11 games since the All-Star break. During the Knicks’ 9-game winning streak, he had games where he scored a career-high 46 points and another with 43 points. But when they lost 3 in a row after that, he shot just 18-63 from the floor. Randle was 11-24 against the Lakers while also grabbing 8 rebounds and issuing 5 assists.

Aside from Randle, RJ Barrett also had a big game versus the Lakers with 30 points. Barrett has scored at least 25 points in four out of his last 5 games played. Barrett and Randle need to play big again on Tuesday as the Knicks will still be without Jalen Brunson who is out with a foot injury. Tuesday will be the 5th time in their last six games that Brunson has missed.

The Blazers also have their injury woes as Damian Lillard missed Sunday’s 127-110 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans with calf tightness. Lillard has scored 20+ points per game in his last 28 games, including 71 against Houston last February 26.

Portland is 4-9 SU without Lillard. They have lost 8 out of their last 11 games played including their last 3 overall. The Blazers trailed by as many as 39 points against the Pelicans. Including that loss, they went 2-4 during a six-game road trip.

With Portland falling to 13th place before Monday’s games, they are down two games n the play-in race and need to pick up the pace if they want a shot at making the postseason. But they will need to do it without Lillard right now.

With Lillard out, you can’t trust the Blazers. Even if he suits up, he may not be 100% and the Knicks are also a good defensive team that has the manpower to contain Dame. Portland has won twice in its last eight games played. The Knicks are riding high on the momentum of their win over the Lakers.

Prediction: New York Knicks

Knicks vs Blazers ATS Prediction

The Knicks are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Blazers. New York is 3-7 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Portland.

New York Knicks ATS trends:

• The Knicks are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
• The Knicks are 33-13 ATS in their last 46 road games.
• The Knicks are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win
• The Knicks are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Knicks are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Knicks are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Knicks are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games versus a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Knicks are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 Tuesday games.
• The Knicks are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Knicks are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 games following a straight-up win.
• The Knicks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games against a team with a winning home record.
• The Knicks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games playing on 1 day’s rest.

Portland Trail Blazers ATS trends:

• The Trail Blazers are 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 home games.
• The Trail Blazers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The Trail Blazers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Trail Blazers are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Trail Blazers are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Trail Blazers are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 Tuesday games.
• The Trail Blazers are 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 home games versus a team with a winning road record.
• The Trail Blazers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
• The Trail Blazers are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.

With Lillard’s status up in the air, it’s hard to trust this Portland team to win games. Also, the Blazers’ defense has been atrocious and they have allowed opponents to score at least 120 points in five out of their last 8 games played.

The Knicks meanwhile held the Lakers to only 108 points on Sunday. They are a very good defensive team and have the ability to shut down this Blazers team, with or without Damian Lillard.

Portland is 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games played and has failed to cover in their last 8 Tuesday games. The Knicks meanwhile are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games played overall.

Prediction: Knicks

Knicks vs Blazers Over/Under Prediction

The under is 10-4 in the last 14 games played between these two teams. The total has gone under in five out of the last 6 meetings in Portland.

New York Knicks over/under trends:

• The under is 4-0 in the Knicks’ last 4 overall.
• The under is 5-2 in the Knicks’ last 7 road games
• The under is 4-0 in the Knicks’ last 4 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 4-0 in the Knicks’ last 4 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 5-2 in the Knicks’ last 7 road games versus a team with a winning home record.

Portland Trail Blazers over/under trends

• The over is 5-0 in the Trail Blazers’ last 5 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the Trail Blazers’ last 5 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The over is 7-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last 9 games following a straight-up loss.
• The over is 6-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last 8 games following an ATS loss.
• The over is 6-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last 8 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The under is 18-7-1 in the Trail Blazers’ last 26 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
• The under is 5-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last 7 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 5-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last 7 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 9-1-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last 12 Tuesday games.

Neither of these teams plays a fast-paced game. The Knicks are a good defensive team but considering how bad the Blazers have been on offense this season, the Knicks should be able to score more than enough points on offense to push the score over the total.

With New York scoring at ease here, they won’t need too much defensive effort to win this game. Portland has surrendered 119 or more points in 8 out of their last 11 games overall. Give me both teams to play in a high-scoring affair on Tuesday night.

Prediction: Over 224.5