Suns vs. Knicks Odds, Pick, Prediction: A Prop and Moneyline Bet for This Game (January 2)

Suns vs. Knicks Odds

The Phoenix Suns travel to the Big Apple on Monday to face the New YorkKnicks.

Both teams will be looking to Monday's game as a get right spot. Both teams have lost five of their past six games and are barely holding on to an above-.500 record.

Both teams have been without key players in recent games, which has certainly led to some of those recent struggles. So, with that in mind, let's dig into the odds.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns downturn has overlapped closely with the games Devin Booker has missed in the past few weeks. Booker has missed nine of the Suns past 11 games (we're going to count the game in which he played four minutes and then got hurt as him missing) and the Suns are 2-7 in those games.

That's not great news for Phoenix given that Booker is expected to be out for at least the month of January after re-aggravating his groin injury in that game in which he played only four minutes.

This is also the fifth game of the Suns six-game road trip and they just haven't shown anything worthy of betting on in recent weeks.

However, when a player as essential as Booker goes out, it does open up the opportunity to look for some player prop edges as the books adjust. In the three weeks since Booker first went out, Landry Shamet has been the main beneficiary.

Shamet is averaging over 20.0 points per game in the past five games in which he played but Booker didn't. He has a pair of 30+ point games sprinkled in, and he got up a combined 33 ([) 3s in those two games. Given that the Knicks allow the third-most three-point attempts per game, I love a look at a Shamet points or three-pointers made escalator on Monday.

Chris Paul has also seen his scoring increase in Booker's absence. He's averaging 16 points since Dec. 10, compared to just 10.3 points per game before Booker went down. The books haven't quite adjusted and offered 14.5 points as his line last game, albeit against a tougher defensive opponent in the Raptors.

If they post 14.5 again, I would look toward the over. I also would jump on his three pointers made prop if they hang 1.5, even with a bit of juice. Or 2.5 if you can get plus money.

New York Knicks

The Knicks are also dealing with some backcourt injuries. R.J. Barrett, New York's 2019 third overall pick is out until at least Jan. 5. Additionally, Jalen Brunson — the Knicks' essential free agent pickup from the offseason — is once again listed as questionable.

Brunson has held that distinction every game for the past few weeks. He's dealing with a hip injury that is touch and go as to whether he can play on it.

The Knicks also reek of a team hard to get a read on in terms of betting the spread, in part because Brunson is often not ruled in or out right up until the last minute.

However, we are once again afforded the opportunity to dive into the player prop market if Barrett and maybe Brunson are out. Now, the sample size is much smaller here, which is dangerous, but it also means the books haven't had as much time to adjust. In the past two games, without those two top scorers, Julius Randle (no surprise) and Immanuel Quickley have really popped.

Randle is the Knicks leading scorer, so it's no surprise to see him getting up shots with the other two out, but the 38.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in the past two is impressive. However, the books really juiced his props last game, hanging a 32.5 for his points and a 48.5 for his points + rebounds + assists.

If they hang that number again, while there's still a chance Brunson might play, jump on the under. If Brunson does play, it would be very hard for him to get there, and even if Brunson doesn't play, I'd lean toward the under on that high of a prop for Randle.

As for Quickley, he's averaging 31.5/6.0/7.0 in the past two games. That being said, what's maybe most impressive about Quickley — with Barrett and Brunson out — is that he's actually getting up the most shots on the Knicks, with 52 combined field goal attempts in those two games. The books have also been (rightfully) slower to adjust his lines, with a 33.0 final line for his points + rebounds + assists line before the Houston game.

That line will likely be higher, and I'd probably cut out the rebounds part of that bet, but if the Knicks are indeed without Barrett and Brunson, I'd love a Quickley points + assists over up to 29.5.

Suns-Knicks Pick

I handed out plenty of player props along the way, but I know some folks prefer the spread and total, so I will add a lean here.

The Suns have shown no ability to win without Booker, and while the Knicks are fresh off a five-game losing streak of their own, only one of those was really a bad overall game — there were just some tough endings to games.

This game is pretty much a pick'em right now, but given that this is in New York, I think that favors the Knicks.

Pick: Knicks Moneyline

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