Another week means another strong double-header on TNT for Tuesday night.
First the Golden State Warriors and their incredible amount of injuries will travel to the Big Apple to battle with the streaking New York Knicks. New York has flown up the Eastern Conference rankings while the Warriors are holding on for dear life with Curry out after his shoulder injury.
After that game, the battle for the Western Conference’s best will take place in the Mile High City between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets for what should be the best game of the night.
Let’s dive in.
Golden State Warriors vs New York Knicks
Tuesday, 10/25 at 5:30pm MST on TNT in New York
Without Curry, it will not be easy for the Warriors to stay afloat. Klay Thompson is in and out of the lineup as well and the Warriors have just never fared well with Curry out of the picture. Their hope lies on the shoulders of Jordan Poole with Curry out for the next month or so. In Golden State's last game against the Toronto Raptors, Poole did precisely what the Warriors needed from him as he posted 43 points on 14-23 shooting including hitting five of his 11 attempted threes in addition to six assists in 34 minutes of action. If the Warriors can get that top of production from Poole, maybe they can survive this stretch without Curry and keep their hopes of a top-four seed alive. Against the Knicks, the Warriors will also be without Andrew Wiggins, Donte DiVencenzo and JaMychal Green.
For the Knicks, things are improving. They are entering their battle with the banged up Warriors with a seven-game winning streak which has propelled them all the way to 17-13 which is good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. With Quinton Grimes starting and adding much-needed defense, the Knicks have stabilized behind the strong play of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks will be without Obi Toppin in their matchup with the Warriors.
DraftKings Odds
- The Knicks are favored by 5.5 points according to DraftKings Sportsbook which makes sense. The Warriors are decimated by injury and the Knicks are on a roll and at home.
- The over/under between the Warriors and Knicks is set at 221.5 according to DraftKings Sportsbook which feels a tad high for a mid-range team like the Knicks and the banged up Warriors.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, 10/25 at 8pm MST on TNT in Los Angeles
This is going to be the matchup of the night. The Grizzlies are the Western Conference’s top seed and they will be taking on the Nuggets who sit in the second seed. Simply, this is a battle for Western Conference supremacy.
The Nuggets have not played anywhere near their best basketball yet this season and are still working to get both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back into their mid-season forms and yet, they are 18-11. Their defense has been atrocious, their offense is full of turnover issues, and their bench unit is far from figured out, but the Nuggets have the look of a team that, if they figure things out, they will be a difficult matchup for any team in the league. Porter will miss yet another game with a heel strain against the Grizzlies, but it appears the rest of the rotation is ready to go.
The Grizzlies keep finding a way to win games no matter who is playing or who is out. They will be without Desmond Bane in Denver against the Nuggets, but they still are without a doubt one of the toughest teams to overcome on a night to night basis. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a defensive stalwart who impact the game baseline-to-baseline, Ja Morant cannot be stopped going to the rim, their defense is elite and they can score in the halfcourt in ways they struggled over the past couple years.
This should be a fun battle.
DraftKings Odds
- In this battle for Western Conference supremacy, the Nuggets are just 1-point favorites likely because they are at home making this game nearly even prior to tip according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
- That being said, the over/under of 236 via DraftKings Sportsbook feels perfect.