NBA Picks & Predictions: Lakers vs. Knicks (Saturday)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has nine games on tap for Saturday night, including a nationally-televised game on ABC/ESPN+ between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off for that game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. We also have two games with start times for 5 p.m. ET. We’ll choose from an array of games with a tip-off time of 7 p.m. ET or later to give you more time to get your bets in. We managed a 3-2 record with last week’s picks, which was technically in the black, but just barely. Let’s do better!
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Saturday, February 1st. Here is our top pick and prediction for tonight’s NBA game Lakers vs. Knicks.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Picks: Lakers vs. Knicks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Los Angeles Lakers (+320) at New York Knicks (-405) | O/U 227.5 (-110/-110)
The Lakers (27-19) and Knicks (32-16) meet at Madison Square Garden, and, again, this is the nationally-televised game on ABC and ESPN+. Tip time is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Lakers are rounding the corner and heading for home, playing in the fifth game of a six-stop trip, with just a date with the Los Angeles Clipper at Intuit Dome left on the agenda. L.A. is 3-1 SU in the first four stops, with a 2-1-1 ATS mark. The Over is also 3-1 in the first four dates.
On Thursday night, the Lakers emasculated the Washington Wizards 134-96 as an 8.5-point favorite as the Over (223.5) cashed. The Lakers have allowed just 108 or fewer points in seven of the past nine games, stepping up the defensive effort. It has split 4-4 on the Over/Under in the past eight games, though, as the offense has scored 117 or more points in four of the past nine.
For the Knicks, they were rude hosts to the Denver Nuggets last time out on Wednesday, winning 123-113 as a 3-point favorite. New York has won all three games on the current homestand, while also going 3-0 ATS. The Over has a slight 2-1 edge, with the total going low against the Nuggs.
New York has won five in a row overall, going 4-1 ATS in the span. It is 9-4 SU in the past 13 games at MSG while holding an 8-5 ATS edge in those outings. The Over has cashed in five of the past eight games at MSG, too.
This is the first of two regular-season meetings between these teams, and always special when LeBron James visits Manhattan. The road team has won the past four meetings in this series since Jan. 31, 2023, while the road team is also 4-0 ATS in that span. The Under has hit in three in a row, and five of the past seven meetings.
Let’s back the Lakers catching the points, and we’ll stick with the Under based on the series trends.
Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +9.5 (-108) & Under 227.5 Points (-110)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.