Our NBA expert predictions expect a scoring-rich environment tonight in Salt Lake.
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The New York Knicks have caught fire, bringing a four-game winning streak into a road matchup on Saturday against the struggling Utah Jazz.
Utah will be searching for its first win in five games and just its second home victory of the season, hoping the Knicks’ struggles on the defensive side of the ball can ignite an offense that has been making marginal improvements of late.
With injuries mounting, can they overcome the odds here?
Let’s dig into my Knicks vs. Jazz predictions and NBA picks on Saturday, November 23.
My best bet
Over 233 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
This one has all the makings of a tough game for, in theory for, the New York Knicks. They’ve struggled mightily to contain the 3-pointer, ranking 25th in the NBA in allowing 38% of shots to fall from the arc, and the Utah Jazz has opted to shoot the 3 at the 13th-highest frequency in the NBA despite some poor returns on its attempts.
There’s just one problem: the health of this Utah team. Jordan Clarkson is currently listed as questionable for this tilt with plantar fasciitis, while Kyle Filipowski remains out with an ankle injury. Walker Kessler’s been out for a week and could make his return here, but that won’t help buoy Utah’s chances of exploiting the Knicks on the perimeter.
Still, the Jazz will have their top offensive weapon in Lauri Markkanen, and Collin Sexton is available after an injury scare on his non-shooting hand.
You’d have to say this should be a tight battle, considering the Jazz have done well to rebound the ball, ranking just one spot outside the top 10 in this category, which could take away the usual edge New York has here as the sixth-ranked side. If Kessler’s in, that delta should only grow smaller.
Utah has been middling defensively across the board in the shooting zones, but its strongest area has been the 3, which once again should diminish some of the advantage the Knicks have as the second-best shooting side in the league.
I expect this one to be something of a track meet, with both sides shooting plenty of 3-pointers and the Jazz bringing the pace of this game up significantly as they attempt to come back. They’ve ranked 11th in this area, and the Knicks 29th, so I think the conditions for offense here are strong – especially if Clarkson will suit up.
You have to give both offenses an excellent chance to do damage here, especially New York, which has scored 134 or more in consecutive games and will take aim at a defense that has allowed 124 or more in two straight games.
The young guard has been a bit inconsistent from 3 in his career, but the volume has certainly been there, and in the last three games, he’s fired away seven or more times from outside.
Speaking of Markkanen, he should continue to play plenty of minutes at the four if Kessler is to return, and that should open the door for Karl-Anthony Towns to have a massive game.
He should be able to exploit the weak perimeter defense of Kessler to knock down some shots from the arc, and if he’s not scoring there he’ll be up against one of the five worst rim defenses in the NBA.
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Odds courtesy of bet365
Location: | Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT |
Date: | Saturday, 11-23-2024 |
Tip-off: | 5:00 p.m. ET |
TV: | MSG, KJZZ |
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