The Nuggets take the court having lost two straight. Denver lost in Chicago Monday night despite the predictable brilliance of Nikola Jokic (33-12-14). The Knicks have won four in a row. They have scored 143 points in each of their last two games. Monday, they waxed the Grizzlies 143-106.

Coming in as underdogs, the Nuggets are a good bet here, considering they’re No. 7 in overall net rating, whereas the Knicks are No. 5. Denver is an excellent second-half team, showcasing the league’s second-best net rating, 8.8, after halftime, while having a net rating of just -0.6 in the first half.

SportsLine's model has simulated the Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks matchup 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Wednesday

For a team that has struggled internally on defense for the better part of most of the year, the Knicks' strong performance shows that the team is improving when it matters most. The victory is New York's fifth straight and sixth victory in their last seven tries.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for New York. The Knicks who had a strong start aided by Nikola Jokic's early foul trouble, then used a late spurt to pull away for good.