NBA Picks 1/29 – Denver Nuggets @ New York Knicks

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Denver Nuggets (28-18) continue their 5-game road trip as they take on the New York Knicks (31-16) tonight at Madison Square Garden on ESPN. This is the second and final regular season matchup between these teams. The Knicks routed the Nuggets 145-118 in Denver on Nov. 25. Knicks swingman OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points in the win while the Knicks tied a team record with 45 assists. New York is a 3-point favorite and the total is 240. 

Denver is coming off a surprising 129-121 loss at Chicago on Monday night. Denver gave up 24 three-pointers to Chicago in the loss. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was tremendous in defeat finishing with 33 points (15-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 14 assists, 12 rebounds, one steal and a block. Jokic posted a triple double for the sixth time in his last seven games. Third-year swingman Christian Braun added a career-high 28 points (11-15 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT) across 33 minutes for Denver. Denver has dropped the first two games of their five-game road trip.

New York crushed the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 143-106 on Monday night. It was the second straight game New York surpassed 140 points — the Knicks beat the Kings 143-120 at home on Saturday night. The win snapped the Grizzlies six-game winning streak. Mikal Bridges led the Knicks with 28 points (12-19 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and added six assists, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal across 34 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 24 points (9-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds and two steals across 33 minutes. New York has won four in a row and three straight at home. 

GAME STORYLINES: DENVER

On June 26, 2014, the Denver Nuggets selected a relatively unknown center out of Serbia named Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in the second round. Since going unceremoniously in the 2014 NBA draft, Jokic has gone on to have a stellar NBA career over 9 full seasons. Jokic has won the NBA MVP award three times, he’s been named an All-Star seven times and led Denver to the franchise’s first NBA title in 2023. Jokic is the lowest drafted player to win the NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP.

The three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has continued his dominant ways in year ten and is having arguably his best individual season as he’s averaging a triple-double of 30 points, 13.1 rebounds and 10.2 assists across 40 games. He’s also averaging a career-highs of 2 threes and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from long distance. If Jokic can maintain these numbers, he’d be the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double joining Oscar Robertson and teammate Russell Westbrook. He has an NBA-best 21 triple-doubles on the season.

NBA Picks 1/29 – Denver Nuggets @ New York Knicks

After being ousted by the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves in a contentious seven-game series last year in the Western Conference semifinals, Denver added 9-time All-Star and 2016-17 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook as a free agent. They signed him to a two-year, vet minimum deal. Westbrook is averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor on the season. He’s played in all 46 games this year splitting time as a starter and a reserve. He’s given Denver a huge boost as a scorer and playmaker to compliment Jokic. The lack of scoring and playmaking outside of Jokic doomed Denver in their loss to Minnesota in the playoffs last season. 

Shooting guard Jamal Murray (19.8 ppg, 6.0 asts, 4 rebs, 1.5 stls, 2.1 threes, 45.4% from 2), forward Michael Porter Jr. (18.1 ppg, 6.4 rebs, 2.6 threes, 51.1% from 2, 41% from 3) and emerging guard/forward Christian Braun (14.3 ppg, 4.6 rebs, 1.1 stls, 57.6% from 2) are the top complimentary pieces alongside Jokic. Murray was fantastic in Denver’s run to winning the 2023 NBA title but he’s been unable to stay healthy during the postseason for three of the last four years. The 23-year-old Braun is having a breakout season in year three as he’s nearly doubled his scoring average from 7.3 last year to 14.3 in 2025. He’s scored at least 20 points in five of his last seven games.

GAME STORYLINES: NEW YORK

For about a 20-year period, the once-proud New York Knicks franchise had become a laughingstock of the NBA due to terrible free agent signings, disastrous coaching hires and bad drafting. Interestingly enough, the Knicks fortunes changed drastically following what appeared to be another ho hum free agent signing. They inked Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson to a 4-year, $104 million deal in July 2022. Brunson’s first four years of his NBA career were mostly nondescript due to being in the enormous shadow of superstar Luka Doncic. However, Brunson’s production did improve in each of his four years with Dallas which foretold what he was going to do with the Knicks.

Jalen Brunson almost singlehandedly turned the Knicks franchise around in his first year with the Knicks during the 2022-23 season. Brunson increased his scoring average from 16.3 ppg in his last season with Dallas to 24.0 ppg with the Knicks. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and led the Knicks to a 47-35 record which was their most wins since the 2012-13 season. The Knicks also won a playoff series for the first time since the 2013 season. 

The 28-year-old Jalen Brunson has maintained his elite level of play with the Knicks for nearly three seasons now. He averaged a whopping 28.7 ppg last season — the third highest ppg average in Knicks franchise history — and led the Knicks to 50 wins and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. This season Brunson is putting up 25.8 points, a career-high 7.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 threes per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 40.3 percent from beyond the arc through 46 games. Brunson agreed to a 4-year, $156 million extension last July.

NBA Picks 1/29 – Denver Nuggets @ New York Knicks

After increasing their win total from 47 to 50 last season and making back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference semifinals/second round, the Knicks decided to make a major move prior to the season. New York traded for All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for a package that included All-Star forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a future first-round pick. 

The addition of the 29-year-old, four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns (24.9 ppg, 13.8 rebs, 3.4 asts, 1 stls, 2 threes, 54% from 2, 43.2% from 3) was expected to elevate the Knicks into a championship contender. With the exception of a rough stretch in early January to mid January — where the Knicks lost four of five and six of nine — the Knicks have played like a team who could challenge Boston or Cleveland for the Eastern Conference title. They’ve won four in a row and five of their last six entering tonight’s game 

Forwards Mikal Bridges (18.3 ppg, 3.3 asts, 3.1 rebs, 1 stl, 2.4 threes, 49.7 from 2) and OG Anunoby (16.3 ppg, 4.8 rebs, 1.5 stls, 2 threes, 47.6 from 2) along with guard/forward Josh Hart (13.9 ppg, 9.8 rebs, 5.7 asts, 1.5 stls, 1.2 threes, 55.5% from 2) are all versatile and highly productive players on offense and defense. If the Knicks can stay healthy — which has been a big issue over the last 2 postseasons — they have the talent to win the Eastern Conference and make it to the NBA Finals.

THE PICK: KNICKS (-3)

The Knicks have won four in a row and scored a whopping 143 points in back-to-back games entering tonight’s contest against the Nuggets. I think they keep up the torrid scoring pace and knock off another Western Conference opponent tonight on ESPN. Lay the Points and take the Knicks!

NBA Picks 1/29 – Denver Nuggets @ New York Knicks