2 min read • March 13, 2022
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The Nets - SIC score 80.4 have won 2 in a row to move above .500 once again behind stellar offensive performances from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Irving won’t be available for Brooklyn because of the New York City vaccine mandate, as will Ben Simmons, who is continuing to recondition and work through back tightness.
LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for about another week with a hip injury, likely meaning more minutes for new addition Andre Drummond.
They will still have all-world scorer Durant, who has always brought his best against the Knicks, averaging 28.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 49.6% shooting in 21 career games against his now cross-town rivals.
The last time these teams played, the Nets overcame a 28-point deficit and staged a dramatic win behind Cam Thomas and Patty Mills, who will once again be tasked as being secondary scorers.
Mills is averaging 13.9 points in 32.8 minutes per game as a starter this season.
The Nets have struggled to stop teams in the 2nd half of the season, allowing 119.3 points on 28.5 free throw attempts per game.
The Knicks - SIC score 80.1 have won 3 of their last 5, losing both games by a combined 5 points on the road against the Suns and Grizzlies. New York has thrived behind RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, who have stepped up in the absence of a slew of offensive threats.
Barrett is averaging 26.8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in 8 contests post all-star break, while Randle is averaging 28.6 points and 9 rebounds on 46.9% from 3 in the last 5 games.
Derrick Rose and Quentin Grimes are nursing leg injuries and working towards a return, while Kemba Walker and Cam Reddish were each shut down for the season.
Obi Toppin is questionable with a hamstring injury, and Nerlens Noel has already been ruled out with a foot issue.
The Knicks have also struggled on defense out of the all-star break, allowing 110.1 points and 31.4 free throw attempts per game.
Potential plays
Knicks +6 - In the lowest differential between SIC scores this season, the surging Knicks should cover a spread that may be a tad high with Irving out
Alec Burks O13.5 Points - The fill-in PG has played 35+ minutes the last three games, has gone over this prop twice in those games
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