Miami Heat at New York Knicks (-2.5, 199)
All Mike D’Antoni had to do was place Nate Robinson at the end of the bench and New York would start winning games.
It turns out “Kryptonite” was the source siphoning the life out of the Knicks. Robinson hasn’t played since Dec. 1 and New York has gone 7-3 straight up and 6-4 against the spread without him on the floor.
But it’s not D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense that’s receiving credit for the December success. New York has not allowed an opponent to reach the 100-point mark in eight straight games and the last six at home.
"I think we have more of a confidence that we can stop them on the other end," D'Antoni said.
“Our team has really just tried to step up and play better defense, and really in the month of December we’ve done a better job of that after being ineffective in November at getting any kind of stops,” David Lee said.
The Knicks will spread the holiday spirit to fans at Madison Square Garden by donning green jerseys on Friday. New York has won six straight at the Garden and gone 5-1 ATS during that stretch.
The last time the Knicks played on Christmas Day was in 2001 when they beat the Raptors, 102-94, in a game listed as a pick’em.
Heat center Jermaine O’Neal missed practice on Tuesday with a groin injury and only lasted three minutes in Wednesday’s victory over the Jazz before straining his groin. It is doubtful he will be in the lineup versus New York.
Miami has won the last three games in this series, but the Knicks have taken four of the last five in New York. The over has cashed in five straight in this matchup.
The spread for this game opened at 1 in favor of the Knicks but sharp action quickly moved that number to 2.5. It’s time to hop on board with the wiseguys.
Pick: Knicks
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers (N/A)
The last leg of the NBA Christmas Day extravaganza features the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets against the Trail Blazers who have climbed within two games of Denver after winning five of their last six outings.
No line has been set for this game because the playing status of point guards Chauncey Billups and Brandon Roy is uncertain.
Billups has missed Denver’s last three games with the Nuggets going 1-2 straight up and ATS during that timeframe. The four-time All-Star isn’t recovering as fast as he would like.
“When I tried to pick it up and get to a sprint, I wasn’t able to get to a sprint like I wanted to,” said Billups, who has been out with a groin strain. “I was a little frustrated with that.”
Roy missed Wednesday’s game against the Spurs with a sore left shoulder, but the Blazers were able to come away with a 98-94 road victory.
Jerryd Bayless got the first start of his career in Roy’s absence and did not disappoint. The second-year player out of Arizona scored a career-high 31 points while dishing seven dimes.
"I've always had confidence, but I didn't know I was going to do that," Bayless said. "Even with Brandon and with all these injuries – and we need Brandon back – I think we can still win games.”
Nate McMillan’s team has been plagued by injuries this season. Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and Travis Outlaw were out but the team lost center Joel Pryzbilla on Tuesday to a ruptured patella tendon.
McMillen has found a way to inspire his team to fight through the rash of setbacks.
"You talk about resiliency with a group," McMillan said. "There's no words. I'm so happy for this group."
Portland is 10-4 inside the cozy confines of the Rose Garden this season. The Blazers have won and covered in three straight while the under is 5-0 in the last five games of this series.
Pick: Trail Blazers
