This sets up for a big game for Jalen Brunson, who dropped 45 on the Bucks in early November. Guards have torched the Bucks, who have needed to maintain their offensive output in order to compensate for their defense. Their offense has improved as the season has progressed, but their defense has been significantly below average with a 115.9 Defensive Rating ( 21st). The Bucks are 14-6, but are ranked just 11th in Net Rating (+2.9). Milwaukee will miss his presence, but this game will ultimately come down to their superstar duo of Antetokounmpo and Lillard. The Bucks head into this game fairly healthy, but will be without Pat Connaughton (ankle). This is a significant edge they will have over the Bucks, who have dropped from a 52.1% Rebound% last season to just 49.8% this season. The Knicks are the best rebounding team in the league with a league-leading 53.2% Rebounding Percentage, per NBA Advanced Stats and those boards cut down on their opponents’ second-chance opportunities and give the Knicks extra possessions. The Knicks are fifth in Net Rating (+5.7) and their Offensive Rating (115.8) is 11th, but their defense is fourth (110.1), per Basketball Reference. Aside from Donte DiVincenzo, the majority of the Knicks’ rotation played together last year and DiVincenzo has excellent rapport with Brunson and Josh Hart from their time together at Villanova. The Knicks have returned the majority of their roster from last year and having that level of continuity this early in the season is invaluable. Here, it’s early in the regular season and the Knicks have one significant edge on the majority of the league - continuity. This is an interesting mix of circumstances as Thibodeau’s teams have struggled in the postseason due to a variety of different issues, whether it is flaming out from playing heavy regular season minutes, a lack of adjustments throughout a series, or that the team is just maxed out because Thibodeau has squeezed every ounce of talent out of the roster. The New York Knicks are one of the most try-hard teams in the NBA under the coaching of Tom Thibodeau. Bucks Prediction Pick: Knicks +5 Knicks Betting Outlook Both teams rank in the NBA’s top 10 in points in the paint this season.Knicks vs. The Pelicans have Williamson and Valanciunas in those positions, providing New Orleans with plenty of interior punch. The starting frontcourt is where the Lakers win many of their games, headlined by James and Davis at the four and five spots (James shifted to small forward last season when Vanderbilt started at power forward). The spacing and long-distance threat they provide have been obvious. McCollum is averaging 18.7 points in his three games since returning from injury, while Murphy is at 17.0 in his two appearances. The New Orleans team that played the first five-plus weeks of the regular season was only a shadow of the current edition, because the Pelicans now have both McCollum and Murphy on the court. Statistically, this is an area New Orleans might have its biggest edge on Los Angeles (22nd in bench net rating since Nov. Dallas, the Pelicans rank sixth in bench net rating (plus-2.8). Phoenix, if not for the Monday second-unit contributions of Alvarado and Marshall, who helped change the game in Sacramento. New Orleans would probably be back in the Crescent City right now, preparing for a Friday regular season home game vs. Last season’s 3-1 Los Angeles edge featured a pair of double-digit victories after the trade deadline and the Lakers effectively fortifying their roster, but the other win came in overtime, after current Pelicans sharpshooter Matt Ryan sank a miraculous corner three at the fourth-quarter buzzer, causing Arena to celebrate. the purple and gold have been impacted to an extent by Pelicans player availability Zion Williamson has only appeared in one of the seven games, while former Lakers forward Brandon Ingram missed just one of the contests (New Orleans is 4-2 in his six appearances). The outcomes and the specific matchup vs. wasn’t supposed to take place until New Year’s Eve in the Crescent City, but the season-series opener was moved up by 3 1/2 weeks due to both teams excelling in the NBA’s brand-new tournament. The first meeting of 2023-24 against L.A. the Lakers over the past two seasons, respectively, including a sweep in 2021-22 that pushed Los Angeles out of Western Conference play-in contention. 3-0, 1-3: New Orleans head-to-head record vs.
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