Pick against the spread, best player prop for Suns vs. Knicks on Monday

Two of the NBA’s best defensive teams will face off in an interconference matchup on Monday. The New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns will play one another for the first time this season, and oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook think it could be a close game. Let’s go over the betting options for the matchup.

Suns vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV

Pick ATS: Suns -2.5

Phoenix fell apart down the stretch against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday when it couldn’t keep up with the shotmaking of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but New York doesn’t have the same star power. The Knicks have a clear advantage at power forward, as Dario Saric and Jae Crowder have been ruled out ahead of a matchup against Julius Randle. However, the Suns are considerably better at every other position. Chris Paul and Devin Booker and head and shoulders above Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock, and Mikal Bridges’ elite perimeter defense should make things tough on RJ Barrett’s suspect jump shot. The Knicks are the hottest team in basketball right now, but Phoenix is just as good as grinding out wins with defensive basketball and has a more complete offense.

Player Prop: Elfrid Payton O2.5 assists (+120)

Payton isn’t an elite playmaker by any means, but it’s unclear why his odds are so ideal for this prop when he’s averaging 3.4 assists per game. New York’s point guard rotation is deep, but Payton has still managed to tally at least three assists in seven of his last 10 games. he might not get a ton of minutes because of how involved Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose are off the bench, but recent history indicates that he’s capable of getting the job done here.

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