24 Jan

2024 NBA picks, Jan. 20 predictions from proven model

The New York Knicks (25-17) will wrap up their four-game homestand when they host the Toronto Raptors (16-26) on Saturday night. New York opened the homestand with a loss to Orlando, but it bounced back with wins over the Rockets and Wizards. Toronto has lost five of its last six games, falling to Chicago in a 116-110 final on Thursday. The Knicks are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, while the Raptors are in 12th.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. New York is favored by 7.5 points in the latest Knicks vs. Raptors odds, while the over/under is 228 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Raptors vs. Knicks picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Toronto vs. New York. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

Knicks vs. Raptors spread: Knicks -7.5
Knicks vs. Raptors over/under: 228 points
Knicks vs. Raptors money line: Knicks -306, Raptors +245
Knicks vs. Raptors picks: See picks here
Why the Knicks can cover
New York is off to an excellent start in January, winning eight of its last 10 games to move into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks edged the Wizards in a 113-109 final on Thursday, as Jalen Brunson poured in 41 points and dished out eight assists. Center Isaiah Hartenstein dominated the glass with 17 rebounds, while power forward Julius Randle finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

The Knicks began their current run when they activated OG Anunoby following a trade with the Raptors at the end of December. He is averaging 15.0 points per game, shooting 51.9% from the field and 43.5% from 3-point range. His defensive presence has also allowed the Knicks to hold opponents to 101 points per game over the last 10 games after allowing 113.9 points over their first 32 games.

Why the Raptors can cover
The Anunoby trade has also paid early returns for Toronto, which acquired RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round draft pick. Barrett and Quickley were both part of New York’s team that snapped a seven-year playoff drought in 2021 and helped the Knicks reach the second round last year for the second time this century. Quickley is averaging 18.0 points per game in Toronto’s starting lineup, shooting 45.2% from 3-point range.

Barrett is averaging 20.2 points per game and has upped his shooting percentage by more than 12 percent since joining the Raptors. He had 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a 121-97 win over Miami on Wednesday, while shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. scored a season-high 28 points on 10 of 13 shooting. The Raptors have won 14 of the last 20 meetings between these teams. See which team to pick here.

How to make Knicks vs. Raptors picks
The model has simulated Raptors vs. Knicks 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *