Lakers vs. Knicks: Back Randle, New York To Stay Hot Early

Action Network contributor Andrew O’Connor-Watts previews Tuesday’s NBA game between the Lakers and Knicks, including betting odds and a prediction.

Lakers Odds +2.5 Knicks Odds -2.5 Over/Under 237 Time 7:30 p.m. ET TV TNT Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NBA odds here.

The Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks at Madison Garden on Tuesday night in their first meeting of the season.

The Lakers were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Monday night’s loss to Brooklyn, but expect them both to suit up against Julius Randle and the Knicks.

James has made his feelings about Madison Square Garden public — he loves to play there — and his absence Monday in Brooklyn was undoubtedly to ensure his best effort on the NBA’s biggest stage.

The Knicks will look to send the Lakers away from New York without a win and hand them their third-straight loss.

I’ll break down the odds and give my prediction for Tuesday night’s marquee matchup of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the New York Knicks.

The Lakers’ season has been a disappointing one, largely shaped by a 4-10 start.

Since that first month, the Lakers have played much better thanks to adjustments by Darvin Ham and an MVP-caliber run from Davis prior to a foot injury (surprise, surprise) that kept him out for 20 games in December and January.

Even during their slow start to the season, the Lakers started their games hot. They were one of the best first-half teams in the league at 9-5 against the spread, but they struggled to maintain momentum throughout the course of the game, giving up big leads in the second half.

The Lakers remain a top-tier first-half team with the sixth-best record in the league (29-21, according to EV Analytics), but lately they’ve struggled early.

In their last 10 games, their first-half road record is just 3-7 against the spread and 1-4 overall in their last five.

The New York Knicks have been a dominant first-half team all season at 36-15 against the spread (34.9% ROI).

Unlike the Lakers, the Knicks have sustained that dominance — especially at home. In their last 10 home games, the Knicks are 7-3 against the spread in the first 24 minutes.

New York’s early success can be largely attributed to the phenomenal play of Randle, who is having a high-caliber season after a disappointing 2021-2022.

Randle is averaging 24.7 points per game, 14.2 of which are coming in the first half — the ninth-most in the league, according to NBA.com.

Unsurprisingly, his scoring output is a result of high-volume shot attempts and solid efficiency. Randle ranks eighth in field goal attempts (10.2) and sixth in 3-point attempts (4.8) in the first half and he’s doing so on good percentages (47.3% and 37.7% respectively).

Lakers-Knicks Pick

No surprises here. I like the Knicks at home in the first half — a spot in which they’ve consistently delivered. If you have a book that accepts player props by half, I’d look to the over for both James’ and Randle’s first-half lines, too.

Pick: New York Knicks 1H -0.5 (-120) play to -1 (-115)