Just a handful of games remain in the regular season for the New York Knicks, and while their spot in the playoffs doesn’t seem to be in too much danger, they’d sure like to jump the Magic and Cavaliers in the standings to secure a Top-3 seed heading into the postseason.
They’d also love to take out the Milwaukee Bucks, a team they may wind up facing in the playoffs, and perhaps put the second seed into play as we round out the regular season.
Can New York pull this off? Let's get right into it with our in-depth preview and free NBA picks for Knicks vs. Bucks on Sunday, April 7.
Knicks vs Bucks predictions
My best bet: Knicks +4 (-110 at DraftKings)
It’s seemed for the past two seasons that the New York Knicks can beat just about every team in the Eastern Conference — except for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Dating back to the start of last year, they’ve now gone just 1-6 against Milwaukee, though the one win did come last time out on Christmas Day behind an inspired performance from Jalen Brunson.
Of course, the Knicks looked a lot different back then — they not only had a healthy Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein but had not yet acquired OG Anunoby.
The good news here is that it seems — if the last game is any indication — that Hartenstein’s minute restriction has now been lifted. Anunoby is also off the injury report after missing most of the last two months, and just Bojan Bogdanovic — listed as questionable — remains aside Randle.
On the flip side, Giannis Antetokoumpo is questionable with the hamstring issue that kept him out on Friday and Patrick Beverley is in danger of missing a third straight game with an ankle sprain.
In theory, this is an expectedly tough matchup for the Knicks. The Bucks’ defense ranks inside the Top 11 both at the rim and from three, and the Knicks are shooting under 30% from deep in the season series. On top of that, the Bucks have narrowly edged New York on the glass in the four meetings and will encounter a Knicks team that’s just 13th in rebounding rate for the last two weeks.
Well, with Hartenstein playing a near-full complement of minutes and Anunoby — who has added a drastic 23 points per 100 possessions to this team’s production in his 18 games, I think this iteration could look a little bit different.
The Bucks are a team that takes most of their shots from outside, and with Anunoby in the lineup, you can comfortably expect the Knicks to slow their roll. They’ve also slowed their own roll of late with just 31.2% shooting from three over the last two weeks to rank 28th in the NBA — a stunning mark when you consider they’re the 12th-best shooting team in the NBA.
Milwaukee’s offense is cold at the moment, for its standards, and the Knicks’ defense should improve here with Anunoby and Hartenstein playing around 30 minutes. Mix in the injuries mounting on the other side and I think the Knicks are the play on the road — where they’ve been excellent all year.
Knicks vs Bucks same-game parlay
Knicks +4
OG Anunoby Over 11.5 points
Jalen Brunson Over 29.5 points
Sure, the Bucks remain strong at the rim even in a bit of a cold spell, but over the past two weeks, their 64% defense within four feet according to Cleaning the Glass is a whopping seven points off their season average. With that, I’m going to attack them down low.
I’ll be bold here and bet on a guy coming off of a very long injury that seemed it would threaten his season at one point. Of all the healthy Knicks, Anunoby’s taking the second-most shots per game at the rim this year behind just Mitchell Robinson, who's on a minutes restriction and coming off the bench.
Anunoby managed 12 points last time out in nearly 29 minutes and has hit this mark in five of his last six contests.
I’ll also fire up Jalen Brunson to go for a third straight 30-piece. He also does a decent amount of his scoring at the rim (finding himself at the free-throw line as a result) and with 30+ in three of the four meetings between these teams, I feel great about him leading the way in the scoring department.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Knicks vs Bucks odds and trends
Knicks vs Bucks live odds
Knicks vs Bucks opening odds
- Spread: New York +1 | Milwaukee -1
- Moneyline: New York +105 | Milwaukee -125
- Over/Under: Over 220 | Under 220
Knicks vs Bucks spread and Over/Under analysis
- The line is certainly moving towards the Knicks at the moment. Milwaukee did open up as a slim 1-point favorite and were pushed all the way out to four points, but some shops have already brought this line back down to 3.5 points.
- The total has been a bit of an adventure. It opened at 220 points, moving down to 219.5, then up to 220.5. After dropping back down to 219.5, money has come in and pushed it back up to 220.5 where it sits now.
- It’s early, but just 16% of the tickets at DraftKings and 2% of the money are on the Knicks to cover. As you might guess, the handle on the total has been split 50-50, though 67% of the tickets are on the Over.
Knicks vs Bucks trend
The Knicks have cashed the first-half Under in 55 of their last 88 games (+19.25 units / 19% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Knicks vs. Bucks.
Knicks vs Bucks game info
| Location: | Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI |
| Date: | Sunday, April 7, 2024 |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Sports Wisconsin, MSG |
Not intended for use in MA.
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