NBA Handicapping Predictions – Knicks vs Bobcats
It’s the final night of the NBA regular season. I think the common question among NBA fans when they saw the TNT Thursday night schedule for the final night was “How on earth are the Charlotte Bobcats on national television?”
NBA Basketball Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Bobcats
8:00 PM EST on TNT
NBA Gambling Odds from Bovada
NBA Betting Favorite: Knicks -4.5
Over/Under: 188
Charlotte has lost 21 straight games, and they have just seven wins all season. The Knicks are locked in a playoff positioning battle with the Philadelphia 76ers at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
New York certainly hasn’t had an easy season, but they are playing pretty good basketball heading into the playoffs. For a shortened season, the Knicks have had tons of drama and changes in just the last three months. Mike Woodson has the team playing better defense, and it seems Carmelo Anthony is much more motivated than he was earlier this year. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Anthony has scored 30 points or more six times in the team’s last nine games. Amar’e Stoudemire is trying to work his way back into playing shape after being out with an injury for quite a while. J.R. Smith has been a nice offensive addition to the team. Tyson Chandler gives the team a great defender in the middle. The Knicks are a dangerous team in the playoffs despite their mediocre record.
Charlotte has been atrocious all season. The Bobcats have only won seven games all year. The oddsmakers have struggled to set a number low enough for Charlotte. Charlotte is a miserable 22-42 against the spread this year. The Bobcats will not only have the fewest wins in NBA history, but their against the spread record will be one of the worst all-time. Charlotte has lost six of its last ten games by at least 20 points. The season can’t end soon enough for the Bobcats.
It’s hard to tell how motivated the Knicks will be in this one. They already have their playoff spot, and they might actually matchup better with the Bulls rather than the Heat. Still, you have to assume the Knicks will beat the hapless Bobcats.
Prediction: New York 97 Charlotte 86
