Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
New York Knicks vs Miami Heat: An Eastern Conference classic
The New York Knicks are visiting the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on Tuesday.
The Knicks are having a promising season
The New York Knicks are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-29 record. After winning three straight games, the Knicks lost the last two against the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks are second in the league, allowing 107.9 points per game, and are ranked tenth, allowing 46.8% shooting from the field. Jalen Brunson is the best player on the team, averaging 27.9 points and 6.5 assists per game.
The Heat have split the last ten games
The Miami Heat are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 40-33 record. They have won three of the last four games and are coming off a 119-107 win over the Washington Wizards. The Heat are fourth in the league, allowing 108.5 points per game, and are ranked 12th, allowing 46.9% shooting from the field. Jimmy Butler leads the team, averaging 21 points per game, followed by Tyler Herro with 20.8.
Betting Trends
Miami has won 10 of the last 12 games against New York. The Heat have played under the total point line in 9 of their last 13 games overall, 8 of the last 11 games against teams from the Atlantic Division and 12 of the last 18 games played on Tuesday. The Knicks have played under the total point line in their last six games played in April.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Knicks are having their best season in the past decade, and they have been very solid on the road with a 20-16 record. Jalen Brunson has proved that he is worth the $104 million deal he got from the Knicks and has taken the team on his back after Julius Randle went down with an injury. The Knicks are in a much better situation than the Heat, who are once again in the play-in zone. They made it all the way to the NBA Finals last season but are hoping to avoid the tension that comes with the tournament. Both teams are among the best defensive teams in the league this season, and two of their last three games have stayed under 200 points, so we are going with under 206.5 total points in this one.