The San Antonio Spurs (43-16) and New York Knicks (38-22) will face off in the NBA on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will broadcast live on ABC.
The Spurs are 1.5-point favorites over the Knicks on the spread (Spurs -1.5), with the over/under set at 227.5 total points. San Antonio is a -120 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while New York is +100 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Spurs vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks for Sunday, March, 1.
Spurs vs Knicks Prediction, Picks
- Spurs vs Knicks pick: Spurs -1.5 (-110)
My Knicks vs. Spurs best bet is on San Antonio to cover the spread. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Spurs vs Knicks Odds
| Spurs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -110 | 227.5 -110o / -110u | -125 |
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -110 | 227.5 -110o / -110u | +105 |
Spurs vs Knicks NBA Preview
Big Vic heads to the Big Apple on Sunday, as the Spurs take on the Knicks this afternoon.
The Spurs are in range of grabbing the 1-seed from Oklahoma City. The Knicks are battling for a top-three seed in the East.
Both teams need this one.
Miles McBride is the only notable injury absence for a nationally televised game between two title contenders. Nobody move, we don’t want to jinx it.
I make the spread for this matchup Spurs -4.94.
It’s a matinee game, which isn’t the best spot — but the game profile does not look good for New York.
The Knicks struggle with great fastbreak teams, especially defensively.
New York isn’t dependent on fastbreak scoring; the Knicks' halfcourt offense is good.
However, when the Knicks have faced elite transition defenses, the margin is too tight.
New York is .500 against teams above league-average in transition defense, 9-10 against those teams that are above .500 on the season, and just 8-7 this season against those teams that are also above league-average in fastbreak rate.
The Spurs are 5th in transition frequency. The Knicks are 21st in transition defensive efficiency allowed.
So, teams that operate more in fastbreak give them problems.
Victor Wembanyama attracts so much attention, and rightfully so — but the Spurs absolutely vanquish their opponents with speed in the backcourt.
The Knicks’ counter-advantage is on the offensive glass.
The Spurs rank 1st in the NBA in defensive rebound rate, but the teams that can actually take away that advantage give them problems.
San Antonio is 4-5 this season against top-10 teams in offensive rebounding. Meanwhile, the Knicks are 17-6 SU against teams that are above league-average at defensive rebound rate.
However, the Knicks are 18th in offense over the last two weeks, and despite an uptick defensively, they are still just 14th in that category, per Cleaning The Glass.
Spurs vs Knicks Predictions, Betting Analysis
Spurs -1.5
The Spurs' depth is good enough to survive the boost Jose Alvarado has given the Knicks.
The Knicks are a perimeter-oriented team, and the Spurs have the 6th-lowest opponent three-point rate.
Plus, there’s the added narrative factor of Wembanyama playing in front of a national TV audience at Madison Square Garden — a grand tradition for superstars.
I’ll lay the points with the Spurs on Sunday afternoon.
Under 227.5 (Lean)
I lean Under here, based on San Antonio’s ability to limit the Knicks’ profile — but, I also project this right at the number at 227.
The offensive rebounding ability of the Knicks to tack on extra points combined with the pace of San Antonio in transition offsets some of the defensive capability.
I would only look for an Under, but I’ll stay away from the total.
Devin Vassell Over 12.5 Points
I would look at Devin Vassell props in this spot. I'm targeting his points prop.
He’s extremely efficient in transition. He won’t get the superstar bump that De’Aaron Fox will, but his efficiency gives opportunity.
Spurs vs Knicks Best Bets
- Spurs -1.5 (-110)
- Devin Vassell Over 12.5 Points (-120)
Spread
My Knicks vs. Spurs betting prediction is on San Antonio to cover the spread at -1.5.
Moneyline
I'm targeting the Spurs -1.5 instead of the moneyline in this spot.
Over/Under
I lean toward the Under in this afternoon's contest, but ultimately, no play on the total.
