Lakers vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Saturday, Feb. 1

The marquee matchup on Saturday night in the NBA features the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James taking a trip to Madison Square Garden to play the surging New York Knicks.

New York has won five games in a row and ranks in the top five in the league in net rating over its last 10 matches. The Knicks are catching a break in this matchup, as Anthony Davis (abdominal strain) won’t play on Saturday.

The Lakers are still outside of the play-in tournament picture in the West, a great spot to be in at this point in the season. First-year head coach J.J. Redick will have his hands full gameplanning for this elite New York offense, and the Lakers are set as road dogs tonight.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to bet in the prop market and my prediction for Saturday’s contest.

Lakers vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Lakers
Knicks

Moneyline

Lakers: +350
Knicks: -455

Total

228 (Over -108/Under -112)

Lakers vs. Knicks How to Watch

Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: 8:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch (TV): ABC/ESPN+
Lakers record: 27-19
Knicks record: 32-16

Lakers vs. Knicks Injury Reports

Lakers Injury Report

Anthony Davis — out
Dorian Finney-Smith — questionable
Gabe Vincent — questionable
Christian Wood — out
Jalen Hood-Schifino — out
Rui Hachimura — probable
LeBron James — probable

Knicks Injury Report

Pacome Dadiet — out
Josh Hart — questionable
Mitchell Robinson — out
Kevin McCullar Jr. — out

Lakers vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

Los Angeles Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

LeBron James OVER 1.5 3-Pointers Made (-154)

Opponents are shooting 37.7 percent from 3 against the Knicks this season — a great sign for James on Saturday night.

In fact, not team has allowed a higher percentage of opponent 3s to go in than New York.

LeBron is averaging 2.1 made 3s per game this season, and he’s picked up at least two made 3s in eight of his 14 games this month.

With Anthony Davis out on Saturday, I’d expect James to have a ton of chances to launch in this matchup.

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

Jalen Brunson OVER 25.5 Points (-120)

In three games as a Knick against the Lakers, Jalen Brunson has 37, 29 and 36 points.

The Knicks star is averaging 25.9 points per game this season, and this a great matchup against a Los Angeles team that lacks an elite guard defender and is just 21st in the NBA in defensive rating.

Brunson has 26 or more points in seven of his last 10 games for New York.

Lakers vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

The New York offense has been on fire as of late, putting up 122 or more points in three straight games.

So far this season, New York is No. 2 in the league in offensive rating, and it has hit the OVER in 26 games (26-21-1) – one of the highest percentages in the league.

On the Lakers’ side of things, they’ve hit the UNDER in 24 of 46 games, but are just 21st in the league in defensive rating. Now, without their top rim protector in Davis, I’m worried about the Lakers keeping the Knicks from scoring down low.

Not only that, but Los Angeles may opt to push the ball in transition more without Davis’ presence in the half court.

I’ll bet on another high-scoring game with the Knicks’ offense clicking in recent weeks.

Pick: OVER 228 (-108)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.