New York Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets - January 21, 2025

Alright, folks! It’s that time again—game day! The Brooklyn Nets are set to face off against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center, and let me tell you, I can feel the excitement in the air. But as a die-hard fan of my home team, I have to admit: this one might not go our way.

The Nets are currently struggling, having lost three straight games and sitting at a dismal 14-29 record. Their last outing was a tough one against the Thunder, where they fell 127-101. Ouch! They couldn’t even cover the +16-point spread as underdogs. With an average of just about 107 points per game on 44.6% shooting, it’s clear they’re having trouble finding their rhythm on offense. And with only 25 assists per game, ball movement seems to be lacking too.

On the other hand, we’ve got the Knicks coming into this matchup riding high after a solid win against the Hawks (119-110). They’ve been playing well lately with a record of 28-16 and have covered the spread in six out of their last nine games on the road. Averaging around 117 points per game with an impressive shooting percentage of nearly 49.5%, they’re looking like a well-oiled machine right now.

Now let’s talk defense because that’s where things get interesting. The Nets are giving up an average of over 20 fouls per game and losing more than 15 turnovers—definitely not ideal if you want to compete against a team like New York that thrives on capitalizing on mistakes. Meanwhile, the Knicks are grabbing more rebounds (43) and forcing more turnovers (around 13) than Brooklyn is allowing.

With oddsmakers opening this matchup with New York as -10.5 favorites, it’s hard to argue against them being favored here given their current form compared to Brooklyn’s struggles. My gut tells me that tonight will be another tough night for my beloved Nets; I’m predicting that they’ll fall short once again.

As for covering the spread? I think New York will do just that—they’ve shown they can handle business when it counts and won’t take their foot off the gas pedal against a struggling opponent like Brooklyn.

Now onto total points: while both teams have had some high-scoring games recently, I’m leaning towards this one being under the total set at 222.5 points due to Brooklyn’s offensive woes and New York’s ability to clamp down defensively when needed.

So there you have it! My prediction is that the Knicks beat the Nets tonight while covering that hefty spread—and don’t be surprised if we see fewer fireworks than expected in terms of total points scored! Let’s go out there and cheer for our teams—win or lose!