There are two marquee games on this Friday slate and this New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies contest is the one that catches my eye more than the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics, especially when it comes to opportunities to profit.
How so? Let me explain.
New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Pick
I mentioned in my support of the Minnesota Timberwolves piece that I want to place my wager early – the opposite is true for this game. I’m operating under the assumption that knee injuries don’t sideline Josh Hart or Karl-Anthony Towns, something we won’t have confirmation of until closer to tip (both are currently labeled as questionable).
While their statuses are an unknown as of this writing, we are fully aware of one thing for any game that involves the Grizzlies – tempo. They are the league leader in pace of play this season and are averaging 5.8% more possessions per game than they did a year ago.
For my money, Memphis supporters should embrace this style. Forcing opponents to play your style is a skill and one that can have success at a high level with time – I just don’t like it as an approach against these Knicks (again, assuming health).
In their past 10 games played at a pace above their season average, New York has eight victories. They are an offensive-oriented team, so success at that level isn’t shocking.
Those two setbacks are very easy to explain away. One came in a “LeBron James reminds the world of who he is” game (33 points on 54% shooting with 11 rebounds and 12 assists) and the other in Cleveland, on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off of an overtime game where their starting unit totaled 213 minutes.
With neither of those factors scaring me tonight, this game should come down to the wire, and the Knicks have done nothing but prove their valor in such spots.
Jalen Brunson in the clutch:
37 FGM (1st in the NBA)
5.5 PPG (1st in the NBA)
51.4 FG% (2nd min 50 FGA)
The Knicks are 14-7 in clutch games (2nd best record in the NBA)All 37 clutch field goals⬇️
pic.twitter.com/0VM0fQnydj— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) February 27, 2025
The Grizzlies are a good team, but I’m not putting them into the elite conversation – a team in that range hasn’t beaten the Knicks since the Timberwolves handled them on Jan. 17. I don’t mind a moneyline wager here, but with the spread sitting at more than a single shot due to the health concerns, I’ll take the additional security.
Pick: Knicks +4 (-112, DraftKings)
