by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Dec 13, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to watch: TNT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: Warriors -4.5
Caesars: NL
Season record
Warriors: 22-5 (1st place, Western Conference)
Knicks: 12-15 (12th place, Eastern Conference)
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Warriors - Knicks preview and analysis
The franchise that should’ve drafted Stephen Curry is now getting a front-row seat to history.
The Golden State Warriors’ superstar, the greatest shooter of this generation, is two 3-pointers away from becoming the greatest shooter of all-time. He’ll get that chance Tuesday in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
In his 788th NBA game, Curry will get the chance to break Ray Allen’s all-time record of 2,973 threes in the World’s Most Famous Arena. For context: Allen surpassed Reggie Miller on Feb. 10, 2011 in his 1,074th game. Allen played 89 fewer games than Miller and Curry would need to play six full seasons to even get close to that.
Becoming the all-time 3-point leader in the arena he should’ve been playing in is just another reminder of the kind of player Curry has become, and how Knicks fans are just dreading how this will transpire.
Curry hit five threes in Monday’s 102-100 win against the Indiana Pacers, finishing with 26 points and nearly tied the record on the game’s final possession. He missed the three, but Kevon Looney grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback for the winning bucket.
It was just another moment in his MVP-caliber season, and Tuesday can be the penultimate moment in the building he once scored 54 points in.
As for the game itself, the Warriors are playing on the second night of a back-to-back and are 7-2 in their last nine road games against teams with a home winning percentage of .400 or less. The Knicks come in having lost six of seven and are 1-8 since benching Kemba Walker.
The Alec Burks experiment is not working under any circumstance, as evidence of New York’s 15-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Who are we kidding? This is all about Curry. Who else is watching this game outside of the first quarter.
Prediction
On an emotional night, a fired-up Warriors team should make easy work of the Knicks. Defense won’t rule the day for long and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Curry break the record within five minutes. Give me Golden State. Warriors by 12
Betting trends
The Warriors are 23-8-1 ATS in their last 32 overall.
The Warriors are 9-2 ATS in non-conference games this season.
The Knicks are 4-10 ATS at home this season.
Projected starting lineup
Warriors:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Jordan Poole
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Knicks:
PG: Alec Burks
SG: Derrick Rose
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Julius Randle
C: Nerlens Noel
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Julius Randle
C: Nerlens Noel
Key injuries
Warriors: Andre Iguodala (questionable), James Wiseman (knee, out), Klay Thompson (Achilles, out)
Knicks: RJ Barrett (COVID, out), Obi Toppin (COVID, out)
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
