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The San Antonio Spurs (33-36) will be looking to clinch their play-in spot with a win at Madison Square Garden over the New York Knicks (38-31), who are in need of a win themselves. The Knicks already clinched their automatic playoff berth, but they’re tied on games with the fifth-place Heat and need to make some magic happen in hopes of overtaking them before the playoffs start.
The Spurs, fresh off a 128-116 loss to the Nets, sit in 10th place just two games ahead of the Sacramento Kings, the only other team below them in the Western Conference who’s not eliminated from playoff contention just yet. The Spurs own the tiebreaker over the Kings though, so just one win or a Kings loss would solidify their play-in spot.
Spurs vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Pick ATS: Knicks -5.5
The Spurs have been in a slump recently, winning only three of their last 10 games. Somehow they’ve been better on the road (19-16) than at home (14-20) this season, but they’ll be traveling to face one of the best defenses in the league. The Spurs will also be missing Derrick White (ankle) who is likely to be out for the remainder of the season, which comes as a big blow to the Spurs offense.
The Knicks will again rely on guys like Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, who have proven to be big offensive contributors. Randle has scored at least 30 points in five of his last 10 games, most recently putting in 31 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the Knicks’ 99-101 overtime loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. Barrett was only able to add eight points and four rebounds, but that’s the first time he’s scored less than 10 points in his last 13 games. Derrick Rose (ankle) and Reggie Bullock (ankle) are listed as questionable ahead of tonight’s contest, both of them pulling up with a sprained ankle after Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers.
Player Prop: N/A — player props aren’t in for this game yet.
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