Well, a New York miracle has happened. The Knicks are – incredibly, improbably – so hot right now. They’ve won seven games in a row and look more like the playoff-regular Knicks of the 90s than they have, well, since the 90s. Is it a temporary streak, or has the front office finally succeeded in building the franchise into real contenders? To answer that, we’re taking a look again at the NY Knicks odds.
This week, the Knicks took down the dominant Boston Celtics by a 15-point margin and then shredded local rival the Brooklyn Nets 142-118. The two wins were enough to notch them a new spot in the NBA standings, up to fifth in the East. They’re now a solid four wins above the Heat, who are sitting right outside of a guaranteed playoff spot, and only three wins behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Let’s look at how these moves have affected the Knicks’ odds of making the playoffs or even winning a conference or league title.
Knicks Odds to Make the Playoffs
The Knicks have rocketed up the list in odds of reaching the playoffs. Across top NY sportsbooks, their odds to reach the playoffs in early February were so-so at -115. When we checked in last week, they had improved in the Knicks’ favor to -400.
Now they’re at -1400. Only the Suns, now with Kevin Durant to help them out, have better odds among the teams listed. For fans who bet on the Knicks to make the playoffs way back at the start of the season, that bet is paying off big time.
The past seven wins have put the Knicks in a much better position to make the playoffs, with the Nets and Heat left behind to compete for the sixth spot in the East. The teams ranked seven through ten will have to fight through a play-in game before the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Here’s how the league is stacking up. Oddsmakers aren’t listing the top six teams since they’re so likely to make it.
Scroll through the table below to see the odds for all listed teams to qualify for the postseason.
Knicks Odds to Win the East and NBA Championship
The Knicks are still a long shot for the NBA title, but their chances to win the East are looking a lot better after they showed out the Celtics on Monday.
Their odds to win an NBA title are at 130-to-1 this week, compared to 200-to-1 last week.
The Knicks’ odds to win the Eastern Conference are at 45-to-1, much narrower than 100-to-1 last week.
Scroll through the table below to see the New York sports betting odds for each team in the East to win the conference title.
NY Knicks Upcoming Games
After three games at home, the Knicks travel to Miami for Friday’s game. They have two tough back-to-back road games, Friday’s game against the Heat and then Sunday’s against the Celtics. Both games are critical conference rivalries that could affect playoff outcomes down the road.
It seems unlikely Boston will go down to the Knicks a second time in less than a week, especially at home in TD Garden, where their win ratio stretches to 27-5 vs. away at 18-12. The Heat, on the other hand, has lost five of their last six games. Will a home game against conference rivals be enough to spark them back to life? Or can the Knicks put even more distance between themselves and the play-in line? The Heat are 19-11 at home vs. 14-19 away.
Here are more of the Knicks’ upcoming games.
- @ Miami — Friday, March 3
- @ Boston — Sunday, March 5
- vs. Charlotte — Tuesday, March 7
- @ Sacramento — Thursday, March 9
- @ LA Clippers — Saturday, March 11
- @ LA Lakers — Sunday, March 12
- @ Portland — Tuesday, March 14
- vs. Denver — Saturday, March 18
- vs. Minnesota — Monday, March 20
- @ Miami — Wednesday, March 22
- @ Orlando — Thursday, March 23
Photo by Shaun Brooks/Actionplus/Icon Sportswire