In the first three months of the season, the New York Knicks were looking like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. But after winning the NBA Cup, the Knicks went into a deep tailspin that is only now appearing to end.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to power through without the services of Austin Reeves, their second-leading scorer. Reeves is now day-to-day, while the Lakers have shown improved recent betting value after a dip.
The Knicks and Lakers are two of the NBA's great legacy brands, which makes for a natural NBC Sunday night national telecast. NBA betting traffic will be heavy, and viewership will be as high as for any NBA game so far this season.
Lakers at Knicks Preview
On Sunday, February 1, 2026, the New York Knicks will host the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tipoff time is 7 p.m. ET with television coverage on NBC.
Public Betting Odds Factors
- The Lakers remain the biggest brand in the NBA and will draw significant betting traffic.
- The Knicks will draw their share of action as a strong Eastern Conference playoff contender that is possibly starting to recover from a slump.
Lakers at Knicks Predictions
Handicapping Factors to Consider
- Los Angeles will get a better price than usual as a mega brand because of being the road team up against a quality host.
- New York burned a lot of bankrolls recently and lost the trust of many gamblers.
- The Lakers have been in better recent form and value than the Knicks.
- The Lakers have the edge in their series with the Knicks.
Lakers at Knicks Prime Best Bet: Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers at Knicks Betting Tips
Los Angeles Lakers
- Los Angeles has NBA metrics of 17th for scoring offense, 2nd for field goal percentage, 22nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 21st for free throw percentage, and 26th for offensive rebounding.
- On defense, the Lakers have NBA metrics of 18th for scoring defense, 27th for field goal percentage permitted, 25th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 3rd for defensive rebounding.
- The Los Angeles Lakers are 28-17 straight up, 24-20-1 against the spread, and 26-19 over/under the total.
- Los Angeles has covered the NBA spread in four of their last five games.
- The Lakers have gone under the total in four of its previous five matchups.
- Los Angeles is 5th in the Western Conference playoff standings. Los Angeles is 8.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race.
New York Knicks
- New York has NBA metrics of 8th for scoring offense, 16th for field goal percentage, 3rd for 3-point field goal percentage, 12th for free throw percentage, and 2nd for offensive rebounding.
- On defense, the Knicks have NBA metrics of 10th for scoring defense, 13th for field goal percentage permitted, 26th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 5th for defensive rebounding.
- The New York Knicks are 28-18 straight up, 22-23-1 against the spread, and 23-23 over/under the total.
- New York has covered three out of their last seven games.
- The Knicks have gone under the total in five of its previous six matchups.
- New York is 3rd in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. New York is 6.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Lakers at Knicks Head-to-Head and Key Stats
- The Lakers covered the spread in five of their last seven games against the Knicks.
- New York and Los Angeles went under the total in four of their last five matchups.
- Specifically in New York, the Lakers got the money in their three most recent games against the Knicks.
- The Knicks and Lakers went over the total in six out of their last nine games at New York.
- Los Angeles covered the spread in only three of their last ten away games.
- The Lakers went under the total in five of their last seven road games.
- New York failed to cover the spread in seven of their last nine home games.
- The Knicks went under the total in four of their last six home tilts.
