NBA Betting Tips: Knicks feature in Monday’s picks

Monday night sees 11 NBA matches take place, including some UK-friendly tip-off times which makes a change. We've picked out our best bets for the upcoming games.

Rockets @ 76ers - 76ers (-7.5) @ 10/11

Houston, we have a problem.

The Rockets haven't travelled well all season, going 4-13 on the road, although the absence of reigning MVP Joel Embiid may offer them some encouragement.

The Sixers big man remains sidelined due to a knee injury, and Philadelphia needed a big performance from Tobias Harris to get past the Sacramento Kings in their most recent outing.

Houston's defense has been excellent this year, and they allow the fourth-fewest points per game in the entire NBA. However, their struggles lie on the offensive end, where they rank 21st in the league.

Philly are 3-7 without Embiid this season, but I don't believe that Houston has enough firepower to take advantage.

Pelicans @ Mavericks - Pelicans (-3.5) @ 10/11

These two sides matchup for the second time in as many games here after New Orleans ran out 118-108 winners on Saturday.

The visiting Pelicans managed to overcome the absences of Brandon Ingram (Achilles), CJ McCollum (ankle), Zion Williamson (rest) and Trey Murphy III (knee soreness), and while Dallas were without their talisman in Luka Doncic who continues to recover from an ankle injury, the Mavericks were still able to put up a fight.

Both teams hope to be closer to full strength when they meet again on Monday, and if New Orleans are anything close to starting their best team, then I wouldn't be surprised to see a Pelicans blowout.

I've mentioned in previous columns that Dallas have depth issues, and if Doncic isn't firing on all cylinders here or is absent once again, I think the Mavs will struggle.

Magic @ Knicks - Knicks (-6.5) @ 5/6

The high-flying Knicks welcome a struggling Magic side to Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

Orlando have lost their last three outings, meaning that they've dropped to eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, while New York have won five of their last six.

The Knicks are 11-4 at the Garden this term, and they are winning by a large margin - each of their last five wins has been by at least 10 points. The Magic are struggling on the road going 8-13, although their last victory on their travels was against the Denver Nuggets back on January 6.

I'm expecting the Knicks to win comfortably here, especially if Jalen Brunson returns to the lineup after he missed the triumph over Memphis last time out.

Check out the rest of our NBA Betting Tips here.