Knicks vs. Lakers NBA Prediction
The Lakers are laying 4.5 points as a home favorite over a hot Knicks team at 10:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. Will the Lakers cover or are the Knicks the better play as a road dog?
Game Snapshot
10:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Venue: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TNT
The Clippers limited
Julius Randle to 14 points on 7-of-19 shooting Sunday, but he also grabbed 14 rebounds and dished five assists in a 106-100 road victory. Randle is basically a lock for Most Improved Player honors, as he s been the tireless engine behind New York s 38-30 record this season. The Knicks came into Sunday with a tenuous hold on the No. 4 seed, followed closely by the Hawks (0.5 games back), Heat (1.0) and Celtics (2.0). They can t afford to give their All-Star forward much (or any) rest, therefore, setting him up for a fittingly strong finish to the 2020-21 regular season.
May 10, 2021
I was wrong about the New York Knicks. The gap between where the Knicks are and what I thought they would be is greater than for any team I can ever remember. And no matter what happens from this point on, their season is a success because they’ve earned respect.
Shedding the laughing stock label they also earned over many years, was no small feat. But one can’t help but appreciate this squad given the way they compete.
I believe Tom Thibodeau is clearly the Coach of the Year as he has both maximized and developed the roster he has. And he shouldn’t be alone in taking home hardware because Julius Randle is the Most Improved Player in the league. I still find myself wowed at the fadeaway and step back jumpers he’s made routine.
NetRtg: +5.6 (5)
Things appear to be wide open in both conferences, but the Sixers are heading toward the playoffs looking very much like a legit No. 1 seed. They’ve won eight straight games, having held their opponents to just 101.4 points per 100 possessions over the streak. Philly is now 26-4 (15-0 at home) when it’s had its full starting lineup, with the only loss to an Eastern Conference opponent having come in Tampa on Feb. 21, when the starting lineup was a +21 in its 15.4 minutes and the Sixers were outscored by 28 points otherwise.
It will be interesting to see if Doc Rivers staggers the minutes of his starters in the playoffs more than he has in the regular season. The 20.7 minutes per game that the group has averaged is, by a healthy margin, the most for any lineup that’s played at least 10 games together and
NBA Rumors: Trail Blazers Eyeing All-Star Point Guards, Ex-Coach To Replace Stotts
KEY POINTS
The Blazers are reportedly going to fire him at the season s end
Among coaching candidates are Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups and former Blazers coach Nate McMillan
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts is reportedly in the hot seat following what is seen as another disappointing season for Damian Lillard s team.
If the Blazers are not to make a deep run in the 2020-21 NBA postseason, there is a strong chance Stotts will be replaced by any of five potential candidates, according to The Athletic. Among the potential coaching candidates for the Trail Blazers, sources say: Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, Hawks interim coach Nate McMillan, 76ers assistant Dave Joerger, Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups and Spurs vice president of basketball operations Brent Barry, the report by Shams Charania and Sam Amick read.