Hot meets cold in the NBA on Wednesday night as the New York Knicks (18-13) go hunting for a ninth consecutive win against a Toronto Raptors (13-18) team that has dropped six games in a row.
The Knicks are favorites again and bookmaker Bovada has the odds at -120 for them to reach 20 points first. The odds are at -110 for Toronto to have the better start and win the race to 20 points.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: December 21st, 8:30 A.M. (EST)
It’s been a very impressive turnaround from the Knicks as their winning streak started after having a run during which the team was able to notch just two victories across an eight-game span. Injuries played their part in the rough stretch, but head coach Tom Thibodeau also struggled to work out his best lineup and it resulted in a lack of chemistry among the players.
However, everything seems to work for Thibodeau’s crew now with the Knicks combining a flowing offense with outstanding defensive play. The team has given up only 97.8 points per game during the winning streak and they are well set to continue the run of victories on Wednesday if they can maintain the strong defensive record.
With Gary Trent Jr. battling a quadriceps injury, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are pretty much the only reliable offensive options left for the Raptors, and if the Knicks find a way to keep at least one of them quiet, getting another victory shouldn’t be much of a problem at all.
VanVleet recently exploded for back-to-back 39-point performances, but he has cooled down in a hurry and managed just nine points in Monday’s 104-101 overtime loss against Philadelphia. Pascal Siakam should be the biggest danger with him having the ability to affect games in multiple ways.
The 2020 All-Star had a season-high 38 points against Philly and added 15 rebounds and six assists to his line. He is averaging 25 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the campaign, leading the team in all of the categories. Toronto is far from a one-man team but it sure looks like it on some nights when Siakam gets very little support.
Led by Siakam, the Raptors have dominated the head-to-head series in recent years, winning 12 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams. However on Wednesday, the Knicks have an opportunity to get back-to-back wins in the match-up for only the second time since the start of the 2014-15 season.
