Sport: NBAPick Selection: NEW YORK
I'm taking the points with NEW YORK. All games are really important for the Hawks, as they're right in the middle of the playoff race. However, while they've been solid at home, the Hawks have been terrible on the road. That being said, I don't believe that they should be laying points away from Atlanta, not even against the 'lowly' Knicks. Indeed, Atlanta has lost six straight road games. All six losses came by a minimum of six points and the last five all came by double-digits. Looking back further and we find them at 1-13 their last 14 on the road and 2-19 their last 21. They've also lost 13 of their last 14 visits to New York, including each of their last three. The Knicks lost but covered at Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. They followed that up with losses against several top tier teams (Hornets, Cavs, Pistons, Blazers, Mavs) before stepping down in class and beating Miami in their most recent game. That victory gives them some much needed confidence and I expect it to boost their overall morale. This is another winnable game and I expect the positive momentum to carry over from the Miami victory. After leading New York to that win, Jamal Crawford stated: "We're not going to the playoffs, but we?re going to try to finish strong." With a chance to do some "spoiling," look for Crawford and co. to step up with a huge effort, improving to 7-1 ATS the last eight times they were a host in this series. *Best Bet
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