New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Nationally televised NBA action will resume on Saturday night with a captivating non-conference showdown between the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. Coverage begins from Staples Center at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

SCORE PREDICTION

Lakers 112, Knicks 103

BEST BETS

NEW YORK KNICKS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS PREDICTIONS

After finishing fourth in the East with a record of 41-31 SU last year, New York briefly kept that same ball rolling with another strong start to this season, as the Knicks opened with a sturdy 11-9 SU and 9-11 ATS run– which included tough victories over the Sixers (2), Bucks, Hawks, Bulls, and Lakers.

The Knicks have looked like a shell of that squad since their opening stretch though, considering New York enters Saturday’s contest riding a lackluster 13-19 SU skid– despite getting tagged as favorites in 15 of those contests.

On the other hand, L. A. posted a slightly frustrating start to the year, as the Lakers kicked things off with a lackluster 10-11 SU and 7-14 ATS skid – which was primarily chalked up to growing pains due to the groundbreaking acquisition of Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers maintained a similarly deficient pace through January too though, as L. A. currently sits 14-17 SU and 15-16 ATS across their last 31 games – yet, typically still receive the oddsmakers’ vote of confidence, considering they were favored in 20 of those affairs.

I’ll back L. A. at home here, as the Lakers and Knicks have both undeniably struggled as of late, however, my vote of confidence still belongs to an L. A. squad that’s averaging 113 PPG offensively across their current 7-9 SU stretch – as opposed to a Knicks squad that’s averaging just 102 PPG across their latest 2-7 skid.

NEW YORK KNICKS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING ODDS

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NEW YORK KNICKS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING RESOURCES

• Matchup: Atlantic vs. Pacific
• Date: Saturday, February 5, 2022
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• TV-Time: ABC - 8:30 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

NEW YORK KNICKS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 24-28
• ATS: 25-27
• O/U: 23-29

New York’s outstanding success came as quite the surprise last season, as the Knicks finished fourth in the East with an impressive tally of 41-31 SU – before inevitably getting outmatched by the Hawks from top to bottom in the first round of the playoffs.

The Knicks haven’t caught anybody off guard this year though, considering New York ranks 12th in the East straight-up with a record of 24-28 SU and 10th against the spread with a record of 25-27 ATS – despite getting tagged as favorites in 29 matchups so far this season.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 25-28
• ATS: 23-30
• O/U: 29-23-1

Regardless of the circumstances, hovering below .500 is a disappointment for this new-look Lakers’ squad, but to be fair, they’ve been banged up from the start, so it’s tough to write them off completely, considering LeBron James and Anthony Davis have missed nearly 20 games apiece this season.

Despite their shortcomings, the Lakers rank ninth in the West with a record of 25-28 SU, which positions them in the middle of a tight cluster containing the Nuggets (28-22), Timberwolves (27-25), and Clippers (27-27). There’s still plenty of time for the Lakers to turn things around and push for higher seeding; they just need to get healthy first, and ultimately, shoot the ball better, considering L. A. ranks 23rd in offensive efficiency and 11th in scoring (1.056 OE, 111 PPG) – which doesn’t bode well for a squad that also ranks 16th in defensive efficiency (1.070 DE).

NEW YORK KNICKS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Knicks and Lakers split a two-game regular-season set this year, with both contests staying well under the total at an average of 203.5 PPG. The most recent matchup between these teams took place back in November of this season though, which resulted in another low-scoring victory for the Knicks (106-100).

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

• NYK: Julius Randle - PF (18.5 PPG, 9.9 REB, 5.1 AST)
• NYK: RJ Barrett - SG (17.5 PPG, 5.7 REB, 2.5 AST)
• LAL: Anthony Davis - PF (23.6 PPG, 9.9 REB, 2.2 BLK)
• LAL: Russell Westbrook - PG (18.7 PPG, 7.8 REB, 7.7 AST)

NEW YORK KNICKS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING CONCLUSION

After posting double-digit losses in three of their last four games, the Knicks hit the road for Saturday’s contest as narrow underdogs against the Lakers at Staples Center – marking the fifth time New York has been an underdog across the last six games.

I’ll lay the points with L. A. here, as despite sitting at 7-9 SU in their last 16 contests, the Lakers still generated 113 PPG offensively across that span – likely presenting a steep uphill battle for a Knicks squad that’s scored 108 PTS or less in five of their last seven games (103.1 PPG).

NEW YORK KNICKS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING TRENDS

• The Knicks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven matchups against the Lakers.
• The total has gone OVER in ten of the last 15 Lakers' games.
• The total has gone OVER in four of the last six Knicks' games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five matchups between the Knicks and Lakers.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson