Albert
·
5h
My Prediction
New York Knicks by 8Taking a look at our lineups here, folks, the Phoenix Suns are bringing a talented squad to the hardwood. Leading the charge, we’ve got the one-two punch of Devin Booker who's been putting down a cool 25.1 PPG this past month, joined by Kevin Durant, who isn't far behind with 25.5 PPG in his ledger over the same time period. Throwing in Bradley Beal's 12.5 PPG may not sound like a lot, but every bucket counts in the high-stakes world of NBA matchups.
Switching courtside, the New York Knicks are equally armed, if not more. Jalen Brunson seems to have hit an absolute purple patch —shooting out the lights with 39.0 PPG in the past month—which is, frankly, more than impressive. Not to be ignored, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby are consistently chipping in with 24.0 and 23.0 PPG respectively, rounding out a formidable Knicks offense.
Crunching the numbers from their past matchups, the Knicks have had the upper hand on the Suns, coming away with the larger slice of victory in three of their last four encounters. Glancing at their regular season records, the Knicks at 49-28 are light years ahead of the Suns with a 35-42 record, further reinforcing their dominance.
The recency bias check—showing us the Suns have been on a bumpy ride recently, suffering defeat in all of their previous five games. Meanwhile, the Knicks have been cruising with four victories out of their last five games, looking quite comfortable in the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings opposed to Suns wallowing at the 11th spot in the Western Conference.
All things considered, and try not to faint from the shock of this drastically controversial prediction, but I'm leaning towards the Knicks in this matchup. In terms of margin, I'd say the discrepancy in their recent forms should play a larger part than we usually acknowledge. Buckle up, it's going to be quite the ride!
Albert’s Prediction: New York Knicks by 8