Lakers vs Knicks Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Brunson's Heater Not About to be Snuffed

The New York Knicks are one of the NBA’s best stories. Winners of nine straight, they’ll try to carry that win streak into double digits as they host the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, February 3.

Both these teams are riding high, coming off what could be argued as their best wins of the season. Without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers upended their historic rival and produced the single greatest NBA odds upset of the season as they crushed the Boston Celtics on their home floor.

The Knicks meanwhile overcame absences to four of their top rotation players including All-Star Julius Randle, coming back from 15 points down to the Indiana Pacers on the back of a legendary performance by Jalen Brunson.

My NBA picks and predictions for Lakers vs. Knicks believe Brunson is going to thrive against the Lakers' limited perimeter defense.

Lakers vs Knicks odds

Lakers vs Knicks predictions

The New York Knicks are the hottest team in the league.

They’re 15-2 since they traded for OG Anunoby, with a +16 point differential in that span per Cleaning the Glass. 

They’re getting contributions from everyone on the roster and just keep winning despite injuries that have Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, and Quentin Grimes all missing time.

And it all comes back to the play of Jalen Brunson. Brunson was just selected to his first All-Star team on Thursday night and rewarded the Garden faithful with a 40-point game to outlast a rising Indiana Pacers team who led by double digits most of the night.

Brunson is highly skilled, well-conditioned, and incredibly physical. Even an entire game's worth of double teams didn’t slow him against the Pacers, and they had on-ball defensive studs like Aaron Nesmith to throw at him. 

By comparison, the Los Angeles Lakers' perimeter defense should pose little challenge for the former Villanova Wildcat. That and his consistent productivity in Randle’s absence is why I find these Jalen Brunson odds so appealing.

The Lakers' chances to slow down Brunson already weren’t great with the backcourt they start of Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, but losing both Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt leaves them virtually non-existent. Reaves or DLo are both too weak to stop Brunson from getting to his patented paint floater, and everyone else the Lakers might try will be too slow.

Brunson has only played five regular season games without Randle, which speaks to their outstanding durability as a pairing. In those games, however, Brunson is averaging 35.2 points on top-tier efficiency. 

Two of those games also came last year when the Knicks could lean on Immanuel Quickley or RJ Barrett for on-ball creation. Now more than ever, the offense lives and dies with Brunson, nobody else is going to consistently score 25 plus for the Knicks, and the formula with this version of the team demands that Jalen push for 40 on a nightly basis.

Against this flammable Lakers backcourt, I believe he’s up to the challenge.

My best bet: Jalen Brunson Over 32.5 points (-115 at bet365)

Lakers vs Knicks same-game parlay

Jalen Brunson Over 32.5 points

Under 227.5 

Donte DiVincenzo Over 4.5 threes

+900 at DraftKings

I’m going for a high-risk but high-reward same-game parlay for Saturday, backing Donte DiVincenzo Over 4.5 threes as well as the Under at 227.5 total points to go with my play on Brunson.

If you haven’t been watching the Knicks closely in recent weeks, you’d be forgiven for not realizing the kind of heater that Donte DiVincenzo is on at the moment. He’s got a quick release and the ultimate greenlight, he’s also great at working off the ball and getting open for a pass off one of the Knicks' many offensive rebounds.

Not only did Donte shoot 40% from downtown in January, but he’s shooting an absurd volume now that the Knicks' other offensive weapons outside Brunson are hurt. 

DiVincenzo has attempted a whopping 15 or more threes in three straight games, and still hit them at north of a 39% clip. 

As for the Under, the Knicks just played a game against the Pacers where the total didn’t crack 215. The Lakers are almost playing a different sport compared to Indiana in terms of pace and offensive firepower, so I like the odds of this one turning into a grind-it-out affair.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Lakers vs Knicks spread and Over/Under analysis

The Knicks opened as -5.5 point favorites for Saturday’s clash against L.A. with little subsequent change to speak of. The trends are favorable for the Knicks, as they’re 15-7-1 against the spread at home, while the Lakers are just 10-15 ATS on the road.

But injury reporting again makes things murky. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are essentially listed as questionable ahead of every Lakers game these days.

Typically, that means they will eventually suit up, but as they both sat against the Boston Celtics, I’m genuinely unsure what to make of their status.

Equally so with Anunoby. While the Knicks are certain to be without Randle, Grimes, and Robinson, OG is questionable due to elbow inflammation. He’s been questionable for three straight games and ultimately hasn’t played in any of them. 

At this point, I don’t expect Anunoby to play unless his status gets upgraded, but if he does play, he’ll have a massive impact on the game. All that lineup uncertainty for both sides is why I’m not playing the spread. 

The total for Lakers at Knicks opened as high as 230.5, but that’s dropped to 227.5 at most sportsbooks. At that original number, I liked it as a potential best bet, but I still think there’s a good chance this total isn’t low enough.

The Knicks are regularly holding teams to below 110 points every night, which is a genuine miracle in the current offensive environment. 

Isaiah Hartenstein stepped into Robinson’s role as their defensive anchor and Precious Achiuwa has done great work as both the Knicks' backup center and as Randle’s replacement at starting power forward. That pairing has been devastating defensively.

The Knicks seem to ramp up the defensive intensity even further when playing in the Garden. The Under is 16-7 in New York’s last 23 home games.
Though they’ve been on a bit of a scoring streak of late the Lakers are a below-average offensive team at best. They won’t catch the Knicks napping on defense the way they did the Celtics.

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Lakers vs Knicks betting trend to know

The Under is 16-7 in the Knicks’s last 23 home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Knicks.

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