by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Mar 27, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to watch: MSG, ATTSN-SW
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: NL
Season record
Rockets: 18-57
Knicks: 42-33
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting.
Rockets - Knicks preview, prediction and analysis
In the midst of a three-day break between games that forward RJ Barrett described as "much needed," the New York Knicks turned their focus to a critical stretch run that will include matchups against a pair of opponents bracketing them in the standings.
But before the Knicks (42-33) can turn their attention to the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom they will face later this week, they will host the Houston Rockets on Monday in their first action since a 111-106 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday, a game that wrapped up a stretch of 11 games since March 3, with eight of those on the road.
The Knicks are fifth in the Eastern Conference, wedged between the fourth-place Cavaliers and the Heat and Brooklyn Nets, who are tied for sixth.
New York is on the verge of securing a playoff berth and avoiding the play-in tournament, but because it's five games behind Cleveland in the loss column, the odds of securing home-court advantage in the first round appear minuscule at best.
"Everybody is fighting for something, and I look at it as a good thing that we get to go head-to-head with those teams that we're competing with," Barrett said. "I think that this next stretch is going to be good for us. It's going to be a test. But all in all, we've got to take it one day at a time."
Day one features the Rockets and their five-game losing skid. But after following a season-best nine-game winning streak with six losses in nine games, the Knicks need to rebound with three of their next four games at home.
"We just had (eight) road games in (20) days with a lot of travel involved with two back-to-backs in a short amount of time as well," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "It's a chance to recharge, and then we go from there.
"We're 75 games in and guys have done a good job of fighting all season. We'll just continue to fight and think about Houston. That's where the focus needs to be, and take it day by day."
The Rockets' Jalen Green continued his season-closing surge with his 14th 30-point game in a 108-91 loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday. The second-year player shot 10 of 17 overall and 5 of 11 on 3-pointers en route to his 30 points, marking the fourth time in six games that Green has made at least 10 field goals.
What remains an issue for the Rockets (18-57) is their overall perimeter shooting. Excluding Green, the Rockets shot 1 of 14 from behind the arc against the Cavaliers, and that lack of additional 3-point threats inhibits Green and his ability to challenge defenses off the dribble.
The Rockets begin play Monday last in the NBA with a 32.6 percent shooting percentage on 3-pointers.
"We don't have much shooting on the floor. We made six 3s and Jalen made five of them," Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. "So that makes it a little bit tough."
Prediction
You really have no need to trust the Rockets here. Knicks 124, Rockets 110
Prediction
You really have no need to trust the Rockets here. Knicks 124, Rockets 110
Projected starting lineup
Rockets:
PG: Kevin Porter Jr.
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Kenyon Martin Jr.
PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
C: Alperen Sengun
Knicks:
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Quentin Grimes
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA/college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
