T.M. Selection: New York Knicks.

I like the New York Knicks to cover the spread against the Washington Wizards in this game on Friday. The Knicks have looked a lot better in their games lately and they have been starting to win more and play a lot better as of late. They have 4/6 wins in their previous 6 games and they just won in their most recent game against the Trail Blazers by 30 points. They dropped 2 games in a row right before that with losses to the Nets and to the Grizzlies but they had won 3 games in a row before those 2 losses and all 3 of those wins were by 10+ points. They have started to rely more on their blooming star in RJ Barrett and the young players on their team are getting a lot more playing time now since the year is coming to an end. These young players have added a much needed boost of energy to their rotation and I think they can beat up on the struggling Wizards here. The Wizards have lost 5 games in a row now and a majority of them have been by 10+ points. They haven't been able to do much in their games without their star Bradley Beal and I think the Wizards will continue to struggle until their star comes back from injury. Porzingis was supposed to add an element of defense to this team which they were lacking heavily before but he has had to make up the offensive production of Beal in the mean time so he hasn't been able to play on defense as well as he normally would. The Knicks have also stepped up their defensive play in games with all of these young players on the court they actually have the energy to put in that effort and it has been helping them win their games lately. The Knicks have been the much better team lately and I expect them to blow by the Wizards here. I like the Knicks to cover the spread here.

T.M. Prediction: 114-104 Knicks.