San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

When: Sunday, February 24th at 7:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): NBA TV, Fox Sports Southwest – San Antonio, MSGN | WOAI 1200AM.

San Antonio Spurs (Away)

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich {All-Time 1230-568 | SAS}

The San Antonio Spurs are currently ranked seventh in the Western Conference and are teetering on falling out of the playoff race with a record of 33-27. This will be the last game of an eight game road trip.

The Spurs have been struggling as of late, posting a 5-5 record in their last ten. In that time they also started their eight game road trip with a disappointing four game losing streak.

The Spurs will look to rebound against a New York team that is nowhere near the category of competitive. While it was an emotional last game in Toronto, the Spurs are sure to buckle down and make a better run of it against the Knicks.

New York Knicks (Home)

Head Coach: David Fizdale {All-Time 61-99 | MEM, NYK}

It it is the same old song for the New York Knicks. With a record of 11-48, the Knicks are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and second-last in the overall NBA standings.

Over the Knicks last ten games the team has accumulated a record of 1-9. While the Knicks were able to break an 18-game losing streak, a single win in between makes no suggestion that they would be able to continue with any positive form.

The Knicks will have their hands full against a well-drilled San Antonio offence and defence. DeAndre Jordan is one of the few people who can handle LaMarcus Aldridge but Demar Derozan is known for some famous performances in Madison Square Garden.

What’s At Stake?

The San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks will be forever intertwined due to the 1999 NBA Finals matchup between the two. In the all-time regular season series however, the Spurs lead the Knicks 52-39.

A win for the Spurs would bring them back to sixth in the Western Conference and help them stave off the oncoming playoff hopefuls in the West.

The Knicks will be in last in the NBA with a loss, or maintain their place with a win.

Questions to answer

Can LaMarcus Aldridge get back on track?

What is the Knicks’ game plan at point guard?

We are going to compare the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

Aldridge Was Neutralized Against Toronto

LaMarcus Aldridge has once again been a key piece for the San Antonio Spurs this season. He is not only the teams second scoring option, but he controls play from the post while Derozan does so from the perimeter.

Usually very successful against the Toronto Raptors, Aldridge was relatively quiet in his last game. After a strong run of games Aldridge posted only 6 points and 8 rebounds in his last game in 30 minutes.

In his last game Aldridge saw two capable defenders in Gasol and Ibaka, on top of regularly being double teamed. While he was able to create open shots for his teammates, his lack of production hurt the Spurs overall. He will look to improve upon that performance against a weaker Knicks front court.

Fizdale Is Alternating Smith and Mudiay

Don’t let the number fool you, the Knicks performed poorly in their last game against the Timberwolves. Emmanuel Mudiay posted 15 points and 6 rebounds on 6-16 shooting while Dennis Smith posted 7 points and 7 assists on 3-6 shooting.

When the Knicks acquired Smith it was thought that he would be the main cog in the future machine that is the New York Knicks. Instead head coach David Fizdale has refused to give him the reigns entirely. Opting to rotate him with Emmanuel Mudiay.

It is not to say that Mudiay is a bad player, but Smith’s ability to create for himself and others is superior to Mudiay. Mudiay is the superior defender, but on a team that is losing for a better draft pick you’d expect more investment in their future asset regardless of result. What’s true is that Fizdale still sees something in Mudiay, but it is still a question whether or not he should be taking opportunity away from Smith.

San Antonio Spurs Roster Notes

G Dejounte Murray – 13 Feb 2019 – Out For Season (Knee) – Murray is now four months since having surgery to repair his torn ACL, but is still a long way from returning.

New York Knicks Roster Notes

G Frank Ntilikina – 8 Feb 2019 – Out (Groin) – Ntilikina is expected to be out until after the All-Star break, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Head-to-Head: Demar Derozan (SAS) vs Damyean Dotson (NYK)

Demar Derozan

Shooting Guard | 6-7, 220lb (201cm, 99kg) | USC | Exp. 9 Years

21.4 PPG | 6.2 APG | 6.1 RPG | 1.0 SPG | 0.5 BPG | 2.7 TOV | .464 FG% | .171 3P%

Damyean Dotson

Shooting Guard | 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) | Houston | Exp. 1 Years

9.5 PPG | 1.4 APG | 3.5 RPG | 0.8 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 0.8 TOV | .422 FG% | .374 3P%

The Spurs and Knicks will be walking out two dangerous offensive weapons at the two-guard spot under the lights of Madison Square Garden. Demar Derozan’s body of work speaks for itself, but he especially performs well at MSG. On the other side, Damyean Dotson is a young player that has shown an impressive capacity to score in limited minutes.

Demar Derozan is coming off of an emotional game against his former Toronto Raptors. He performed well in that game, but committed the key turnover that lost the Spurs the game. Derozan has had a number of highlight performances against the Knicks and there’s not a match for his playmaking on New York’s defensive line. Expect a big match from a focused Derozan.

In a recent game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dotson posted 20 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds in 33 minutes of play. More notably, Dotson dominated the first quarter and from range as he shot 5-9 from three. The sophomore can be streaky, but he’s put together three impressive games as of late and a test against the Spurs defence will be great for his young career.

San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks Predictions and Odds

The odds makers have the San Antonio Spurs favoured over the New York Knicks by 8, with an over/under of 110.