NBA Odds & Picks for Suns vs. Knicks: Back Red-Hot New York vs. Phoenix (Monday, April 26)

The Suns suffered a tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center. Now, they travel across the East River to Madison Square Garden to take on the surging Knicks.

What’s hotter: the sun(s) or the Knicks? Let’s break down this matchup.

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Phoenix Suns

The Suns missed a few players against Brooklyn who will remain on the injury report here. Jae Crowder (ankle) is the most notable name on the injury report and is questionable to face the Knicks.

Chris Paul’s value to this team cannot be understated. When he is on the floor, the Suns are 6.4 points better than when he isn’t. Phoenix’s offense hums to the tune of a 116.4 points per 100 and it limits opponents to 110, per Cleaning the Glass. He’s a floor general and provides critical spacing for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to operate.

Crowder has been important for this team, especially on the defensive end. He allows the Suns to switch since he can cover bigger players on the perimeter. Not that Crowder was going to stop Kevin Durant yesterday, but the Suns did not have anyone to throw at him.

If Crowder is unable to go against the Knicks, the Suns may have a tough time defending Julius Randle.

New York Knicks

The Knicks will once again be without Alec Burks, who will miss his sixth straight game due to the league’s health and safety protocols. While he is important, his absence opened up more minutes for Reggie Bullock, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.

The Knicks are on an improbable run, having covered 12 consecutive games and winning nine straight. They’ve done this mostly through elite defense, but they’ve also improved on offense.

New York is running hot, and over the last two weeks it has the sixth-best eFG% in the league (56.6%). The charge has been led by hot shooting from 3-point range (42.1%), per Cleaning the Glass.

One important development is that Coach Tom Thibodeau has been decreasing the minutes of Elfrid Payton, who played just 14 minutes in New York’s win over Toronto on Saturday. Knicks fans have been crying out for this change because Quickley has expanded his role as Payton’s has dwindled.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Quickley has the second-best point differential on the team (+8.1) and Payton has the worst (-8.3). This is a change that is long overdue.

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Suns-Knicks Pick

Both the Knicks and the Suns have been against the spread darlings all season, posting a combined 80-48-1 ATS record, per our Bet Labs database.

While the Suns have been incredible all season and their record is indicative of that, over the past two weeks the Knicks have been the better team. They have posted a +11.7 point differential compared to Phoenix’s -1.4. This is a result of a slipping defense that has given up 116.5 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass.

If the Suns are not able to contain the Knicks from the perimeter, they will be in trouble again. On the season, Phoenix has allowed opponents to shoot just 35.8% from 3-point range (fifth best), but over the last two weeks that has gone up to 38.7%, which is a bottom six mark in the league. Considering the Knicks’ recent success from 3-point land, this will be a critical battle for the Suns.

At this point, it’s hard to fade the Knicks.

Pick: Knicks +2

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