Already embarked upon a season-long four-game win streak, the New York Knicks entered Tuesday as a double-digit favorite against Portland and the talk of the town in a city long starved for a championship.
Brooklyn’s super team came closest most recently, winning two-thirds of its games in 2020-21 before losing to the eventual champion Bucks in the East semifinals. The Knicks last won an Atlantic Division title in 2013, but haven’t competed for an NBA title since the turn of the century.
That’s what they’re beginning to dream about on subways, back pages and the air waves in a basketball-crazed city. Let’s examine New York’s championship chances, conference and divisional odds and other futures after what’s been a dominant run following the trade of former No. 3 overall pick R.J. Barrett and fan favorite Immanuel Quickley, another former first-rounder.
In return, Toronto sent over OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in a blockbuster deal on Dec. 30. Even though Anunoby is the only player to crack head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, the Knicks are undefeated in 2024 and have joined the race for the conference’s fourth-best record behind the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers.
That trio has been the class of the East all season and came into the season ranked as such, but is there room for a fourth to elbow their way in?
New York Knicks NBA futures odds
Here are the latest NBA futures odds for the New York Knicks:
- To win the NBA title:
- To win Eastern Conference:
- To win Atlantic Division:
Knicks NBA Betting Futures: Dreaming big on title hopes more reasonable than divisional wager
Anunoby was dealt by Toronto because his contract has an option that will make him an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He’ll exercise it and the Knicks are unlikely to be the highest bidder for his services, so this window that’s suddenly opened could be short-lived.
Julius Randle is playing the best basketball of his career lately, and he’s been a polarizing No. 1 despite being an All-Star in two of the last three seasons. The Knicks crushed the 76ers 128-92 on Jan. 5 despite him scoring a season-low eight points on 1-for-11 shooting, but he’s scored 35 or more points in four of five other games he’s played since Dec. 29, bullying defenders.
Point guard Jalen Brunson, arguably last season’s biggest All-Star snub, is a lock to earn his first nod this time around, averaging over 27 points and nine assists during the 2024 win streak. New York hasn’t had a duo honored in the same season since Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler over a decade ago. Add in the number of quality role players in the mix, and one can seriously entertain the Knicks being a conference finalist.
A division champion? That’s preposterous.
Odds on New York surpassing both Boston and Philadelphia with over half the regular season remaining are . Odds for them winning the franchise’s first championship since 1973 are only , 13th of 30 teams.
For comparison’s sake, the Knicks Atlantic odds are the same odds given to Houston emerging as NBA champs. The Knicks winning the Atlantic is viewed equally likely as the Rockets winning it all.
If you want to take a shot at the likeliest longshot bet involving New York, winning the Eastern Conference is probably the smartest bet. Whoever comes out of the West is very likely to be favored in the ‘24 NBA Finals, providing another massive mountain to climb.
Currently, odds of the Knicks emerging as East champ pays , even with Cleveland and behind Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Miami. Their projected win total is set at 47.5 (-115), even with the Heat for fourth-highest in the conference.
If they can pull off earning the fourth seed, you figure homecourt advantage would aid the cause against the fifth seed. Then they would have to slay a couple of giants. For the first time in quite some time, that suddenly doesn’t seem impossible.
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Knicks winning ways could continue through All-Star break
The Blazers upset Brooklyn on Sunday, minimizing the chances of New York overlooking them on their way out of town for a two-game trip that encompasses the rest of their week’s work.
Here are the latest odds for Blazers vs. Knicks:
Starting with their win over the Bucks on Christmas Day, the Knicks have hosted successful Garden parties with wins over the Timberwolves and Bulls.
They’ll look to use the rest of the week to keep the good times rolling and the buzz flowing on a Thursday-Saturday roadie to Dallas and Memphis. With Kyrie Irving back and Luka Doncic playing again after sitting out a game due to an ankle sprain last week, look for the Mavericks to be favored against the Knicks on Thursday night.
The Grizzlies announced Ja Morant will miss the rest of the regular season after tearing his right labrum, so Saturday’s game may wind up being a pick’em since reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson, Jr. is also banged up.
If they can sneak out of FedEx Forum with a win, the Knicks have a shot at going streaking since they’ll play 12 of their next 14 through Feb. 10 at home. New York visits Orlando and Houston before the All-Star break and doesn’t have a real extended road trip of multiple games until they go out west to Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco and Denver from March 14-21. The schedule is very friendly if the Knicks take care of business at home, where they won 10 of their first 14.
Anunoby is going to get love every time he hits the floor at the Garden since his arrival has coincided with taking this step forward and he’s being viewed as the missing piece. Losing center Mitchell Robinson is a major blow since he’s out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, but Isaiah Hartenstein has been a rebounding machine since filling in, Achiuwa should get up to speed and Jericho Sims will take on a bigger role.
It remains to be seen whether the Knicks will add another big body, but the opportunity exists to continue making inroads towards a top-four spot over the next six weeks.
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Knicks NBA Betting Futures: Best hopes for player awards
Although Brunson and Randle have been excellent, neither are going to crack the top-six in the MVP voting. Brunson is in the mix for the Clutch Player Award, but his odds are at , barely inside the Top 20. While he might be worth taking a flier on, there are two more likely recipients among the league’s other awards.
OKC’s Mark Daigneault and Minnesota’s Chris Finch have emerged as clear front-runners for the Coach of the Year award, and Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley is the best bet among longshots. However, Thibodeau (+19000) has ridiculously long odds given the improvement the Knicks have made of late and the window ahead for further progress.
The Knick most likely to wind up a winner of some hardware is potential Sixth Man of the Year Josh Hart. Dallas’ Tim Hardaway, Jr., Sacramento’s Malik Monk and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic have emerged as leading candidates, but Hart () is worth taking a flier since his chances should improve going forward.
Players ahead of him like Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Heat forward Jaime Jaquez, Jr. have been starting games. Hart has gained Thibodeau’s trust and is playing major minutes off the bench nightly, doing all the little things it takes to excel. He hustles, gets extra possessions and has long been one of the NBA’s top rebounding wings.
Hart has a great chance to garner consideration over the season’s second half, and Sixth Man of the Year is arguably the award that’s most wide open in terms of it being in play for at least 10-to-15 candidates, with Hart being among them.