New York Knicks vs Golden State Warriors Odds, Picks & Predictions | NBA Betting Preview (Monday, March 18)

In an ESPN matchup, the New YorkKnicks face the Golden State Warriors on Monday, Mar. 18 at 10p.m. ET  — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

The Knicks will travel a short distance from Sacramento to San Francisco to take on the Warriors on Monday night. Can the Knicks continue their road win streak or will the Warriors defend their homecourt?

Let's dive into my Knicks vs. Warriors pick and prediction.

Pick: Knicks +5.5 (-110) | Over 211.5

Pick: Knicks +5.5 (-110) | Over 211.5

The Knicks have returned to form following the return of OG Anunoby and have now won three straight games, but they'll have to weather the Warriors storm without him after being ruled out. New York has an unbelievable 92.6 defensive rating over their last five games and rank third in the NBA with a net-rating of +13.8 over this stretch.

Their defense has been unbelievable lately and it is responsible for virtually all of their success as their offensive rating of 106.4 ranks fifth-worst in the NBA over these last five games.

You can make an argument that OG is actually the most impactful Knick on the roster right now as he has a net-rating swing of +29.5, nearly 20 points more than Jalen Brunson at +9.7, so there's a void that will undeniably need to be filled with him out.

Anunoby's -18.0 defensive rating swing is truly unprecedented in this sport as the Knicks have a sub-average 116.6 defensive rating with him off the court, while they have a 98.6 defensive rating (#1 defensive rating in NBA by 10 points) with him on the floor.

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The Warriors have been struggling lately without Draymond Green and Steph Curry but both of those guys returned on Saturday as they earned a road-win over the Lakers.

With Curry and Draymond on the floor the Warriors are +4.7 net-rating on the season, which is +3.4 points better than their season-long average of +1.3. This may be a clash of styles as the Warriors rank 11^th in pace and had really ramped up their transition rate post-All Star Break while the Knicks rank dead-last in the NBA in pace.

The biggest key for the Warriors here will be their defense as they will need to figure out a way to limit the Knicks to one shot as the Knicks rank first in the NBA in offensive rebound rate (32.3%) on the season while the Warriors are just 15^th in defensive rebound rate.

The Warriors also have a tendency to play small with Draymond at center so that could leave them susceptible to struggles on the defensive glass. As long as they finish possessions, I expect them to win and cover here as they have a significantly better offensive rating than the Knicks in the halfcourt.

With Anunoby unable to go, I would definitely be looking to bet this over at the current number of 211.5 as his impact on the Knicks defense is dramatic.

Pick: Knicks +5.5 (-110) | Over 211.5

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