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The New York Knicks have endured a nightmare start to the 2023-24 NBA season. Tom Thibodeau's team has lost four of their first six matches and currently ranks last in field goal percentage around the rim despite having Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle in the rotation.
On Monday, November 6, the Knicks will face the LA Clippers, who are 3-2 to open their season. James Harden could potentially make his debut for his new team after being traded by the Philadelphia 76ers in recent weeks. The Clippers have been impressive on the defensive end to begin the new basketball year.
Russell Westbrook's performances are indicative of his time with the Washington Wizards and should be encouraging for the Clippers coaching staff. However, it will be interesting to see how his role changes following Harden's addition.
New York Knicks vs. LA Clippers: Game details
Teams: New York Knicks (2-4) vs. LA Clippers (3-2)
Date and Time: November 6, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York
New York Knicks vs. LA Clippers: Preview
New York's struggles are born out of a selfish brand of basketball being played by some of their top stars. Julius Randle hasn't started the season like an All-Star, and his questionable shot selection is clearly hurting his team's overall flow on that side of the ball.
Still, the Knicks have plenty of time to figure things out. The Vanderbilt connection with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo will ensure the franchise has some grit and determination in the roster, and that could be essential to the team getting back on track.
The Clippers come into the season looking to lift a championship. This is the franchises' last season at the Crypto.com arena before moving into their new home. The chance of raising the franchise's first banner in their debut season of a new arena will be enticing.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard will need to stay healthy to give the Clippers any legitimate chance of pushing for the NBA Finals and hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
New York Knicks vs. LA Clippers: Odds
Moneyline: Knicks (+105) vs Clippers (-125)
Spread: Knicks +2 (-110) vs Clippers -2 (-110)
Total (O/U): Knicks (o/u 226) vs Clippers (o/u 226) -110/-110
According to the sportsbooks, the contest between the Clippers and Knicks will be a tight one. The Knicks are being given just +2 for the spread, indicating the game could potentially go either way.
New York Knicks vs. LA Clippers: Potential starting lineups
The New York Knicks starting five could look like this: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
Brunson, Hart, and Randle provide a scoring punch along with some physicality on the defensive end. The trio were impressive last season and need to rediscover that production level if New York is going to build on their playoff appearance.
The LA Clippers starting five could look like this: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Assuming Harden makes his debut, the Clippers starting five will look like something out of an NBA 2K simulation.
New York Knicks vs. LA Clippers: Top 3 players stats
Clippers
Russell Westbrook: 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 51.6 FG%
Westbrook is proving that his struggles with the LA Lakers were an isolated issue and that he's still an elite guard in the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard: 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 47.3 FG%
Kawhi is still one of the best two-way wings in the league. If he can stay healthy, he will be incredibly important to the Clippers chances of success.
Paul George: 28.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 56 FG%
Similarly to Kawhi, George can be an elite weapon for the Clippers this season, assuming he can stay healthy.
Knicks
Jalen Brunson: 24.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 42.4 FG%
Brunson continues to impress for the New York Knicks. However, his high-scoring performances need to start translating into wins.
Julius Randle: 13.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 27.1 FG%
It's been a disappointing start to the season for Randle. He will need to snap out of his shooting funk for the Knicks to reach their potential.
Mitchell Robinson: 5.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 41.4 FG%
The Knicks seldom utilize Robinson's size on offense. It may pay dividends to start hitting the role man with some consistent passes to generate easy buckets in the paint.
