Charlotte Bobcats at New York Knicks (-3, 197)
At first glance, the NBA’s lone Thursday game appears to be a stinker. But diehard league fans will tell you that the Bobcats and Knicks are two of the hotter teams in the Association.
Charlotte is 5-2 over its last seven games and 6-2 against the spread over its last eight contests. Larry Brown’s club is stinging together tough wins without a healthy starting center (Tyson Chandler) and starting forward Boris Diaw sleepwalking.
Stephen Jackson and Flip Murray are giving the Bobcats what they’ve been missing for years (crunch-time killers), and Gerald Wallace is doing everything but cleaning the team’s towels.
The versatile swing player made it his goal to lead the league in rebounds this season, a lofty aspiration for the 6-foot-7 forward. He’s averaging a career-high 11.8 boards per game in 2009-10.
“Gerald has always been an effective rebounder for his size, but he’s taken it to another level,” coach Brown told Fanhouse.com last week. “He’s improved not just his rebounding, but in every phase of the game.”
The Bobcats have won all three of their games against the Knicks this season. Look for the club to improve to 4-0.
Pick: Bobcats
