The next chapter in the “Clash of the Boroughs” will take place on Saturday afternoon when the Brooklyn Nets travel to New York, New York, to face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden with the game tipping off at 1:00 PM ET and will air on MSG and the YES Network.

The Brooklyn Nets enter this game, trailing the Atlanta Hawks by 4.5 games for the final spot in the 2024 NBA Playoffs in the Eastern Conference with a record of 26-44. They have struggled over their last ten games, going 2-8 over their last ten matchups. They have lost five games in a row following Thursday’s 108-115 loss on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. They have lost by an average margin of 11.2 points per game during their listing streak. 

The Nets have struggled offensively for most of the season and enter this game ranked 25^th in the league in scoring, with an average of 111.36 points per game. They have only gone above that mark five times this month, with one of the times coming in an overtime loss against the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets have lost both meetings this season against the Knicks and have lost by an average margin of 12 points per game in those matchups. However, the most recent matchup resulted in a 5-point loss at home. 

The Brooklyn Nets will look to avoid their 5^th consecutive loss against the New York Knicks when they travel to face the Knicks in game three of their regular season series this year.

New York saw their four-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday with a 100-113 loss on the road against the Denver Nuggets. However, they have still had a great month, compiling a record of 6-3. Thanks to their defensive play, they outscored their opponents by an average of 100.67 to 95 points per game during March. 

Strong defensive play from the Knicks is nothing new for New York as they have been one of the best defensive efficiency teams in the NBA this season and enter this matchup allowing an average of 107.97 points per game, which is the 2^nd fewest points allowed per game, in the NBA this season. New York has won the previous four games against Brooklyn by an average margin of 16.5 points per game, with the closest matchup coming in the most recent game in the series, which resulted in a 5-point win on the road for the New York Knicks. 

The New York Knicks will look to take the 3-0 regular season lead against the Brooklyn Nets when they host the Nets on Saturday afternoon.

WagerWeb has the New York Knicks listed as 7.5-point favorites at home against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday afternoon. New York has won four straight against Brooklyn, including the two previous meetings this season, while having won the four meetings by an average of 16.5 points per game. The Knicks have also covered the spread in the last four games in the series, including a 3.5-point cover as a road favorite in their most recent meeting, winning the game by a score of 108-103.

Brooklyn enters this game struggling as they have gone 2-8 over their last eight games this season, while New York has won four of their last five games. Brooklyn has only won one game in their last eight road games and has only covered the spread in one of those matchups while having also gone 0-4 ATS in the previous four games of the series against the Knicks. As a result, I am buying the .5 point and laying the points with the New York Knicks when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday afternoon.