Knicks vs. Spurs Odds & Picks: The Best Offense is a Good Defense

Thanks to the New York State Gaming Commission approving four mobile sports betting platforms in the state, New York officially entered the sports gambling world this weekend. It was a great opening for sports gambling in New York, with the Bills earning a late cover in an intrastate battle against the Jets, and the Nets escaping with a hard-fought victory over the Spurs.

But the action didn't stop on Sunday.

Monday brings three great betting opportunities: two in the NBA and one in the NHL. Let's take a close look at San Antonio Spurs making their way to Madison Square Garden to battle the New York Knicks.

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Knicks vs. Spurs Betting Odds

Knicks vs. Spurs Best Bets

*Lines accurate at time of publication.

Spurs +6.5 vs. Knicks (-110, DK)

The Spurs travel from Brooklyn to New York City to battle the Knicks in the finale of their seven-game road trip. San Antonio will desperately want this game to salvage an abysmal 1-5 record over their previous six games. The Spurs have battled throughout this road trip, playing three games without star Dejounte Murray and losing two games in overtime. San Antonio is currently the eighth-best team against the spread at 22-17 (56.4%), which is even more impressive when you consider they are 2-4 ATS in their last six games.

These teams met in San Antonio on December 7th, and the Knicks earned a comfortable 121-109 victory after shooting a scorching 18-of-38 (47.4%) from three-point range. In that game, RJ Barrett scored 32 points on 7-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. However, this Knicks team will be without Derrick Rose, who posted 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two threes in that first meeting.

New York also could be without several additional pieces in this game. Nerlens Noel (conditioning), Kemba Walker (knee) and Evan Fournier (thigh) are all questionable at the time of writing this article. The return of any of those players will inflate this line, but we will assume none are playing tonight.

The Spurs earned an impressive overtime cover against Brooklyn on Sunday, despite playing without several key players due to health and safety protocols. San Antonio will likely be without second-leading scorer Keldon Johnson (14.7 PPG), third-leading scorer Derrick White (14.5 PPG, 5.5 APG), Doug McDermott (11.4 PPG, 41% 3P), Devin Vassell (11.1 PPG) and Thaddeus Young (6.1 PPG) for this game as well. Fortunately, the Spurs saw Lonnie Walker return and score a season-high 25 points.

Head coach Gregg Popovich has praised rookie Josh Primo and center Jock Landale, who have both made big contributions during this road trip.

If it wasn't for a miracle performance by Evan Fournier, the Knicks would have lost four of their past five games. They are coming off a 24-point blowout at Boston on Saturday, and have the fourth-worst offensive rating the past two weeks via StatMuse.

I'm taking the 6.5 points with the Spurs, even on the second leg of a back-to-back. This is assuming Noel, Walker and Fournier don't play. Even if they return, I would wait to see how much the line moves and would still consider San Antonio at 8.5 or higher if multiple players return for New York.

Risk: 1.10 units on DraftKings to win 1 unit. (Bet up to -120)

Knicks vs. Spurs Game Total Under 213 Points (-110, DK)

The Knicks' defense has finally come around. They are the sixth-most efficient defensive team the past two weeks. San Antonio's defense has also improved, despite their roster limitations and challenging road trip. The Knicks always feature a slow and deliberate style under head coach Tom Thibodeau, ranking dead-last in NBA in pace, per John Hollinger.

The Knicks have one of the NBA's best records to the under at 23-17, while San Antonio has been a great road under team at 13-8-1. The player limitations on both sides, combined with the Knicks usually getting their pace at home, make me take the under on 213 points in this game.

The Spurs have a sense of urgency for this road trip finale, and the Knicks have six unders in their past eight games.

Risk: 1.10 units on DraftKings to win 1 unit. (Bet up to -120)

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