With sports betting having arrived in New York State, bookmakers are expecting more action on the Knicks.
And they could be a good play – as far as betting the Knicks to make the playoffs.
If you want to bet that Tom Thibodeau’s team will indeed make the postseason, DraftKings will give you sweet 5-1 odds.
The sportsbook classifies playoff teams as the eight qualifiers after the play-in tournament. The Knicks are currently 3 games out of the sixth seed – which is an automatic playoff bid.
However, there’s not a lot of value to be made to wager against the Knicks making it. The odds that they don’t play postseason basketball currently sit at -800 (bet $800 to win $100).
In general, the Knicks’ odds for success have shifted dramatically for the worse since the season began. They are tied for 10th place with Boston with a 19-21 record as the season hits the 41-game midpoint Monday vs. San Antonio.
“There were high expectations after going 10 games over .500 last season,’’ DraftKings Sportsbook chief Johnny Avello told The Post. “Things haven’t gone well. They’re behind the 8-ball and don’t look like a playoff team.’’
Since the championship line opened in August, the Knicks have dropped from 75-1 to 150-1 to break their 48-year title drought.
Wagers are still being taken on the Knicks’ over-under for victories – which is now set at 38.5 wins. The line started at 42.5 before the season opener.
In one of the interesting prop bets, the maligned Julius Randle has been downgraded from 65-1 to win MVP at the season’s start to 250-1.
The New York State Gaming Commission has allowed four licensed mobile sports wagering operators — DraftKings, Caesars, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive — to accept wagers on the Knicks and other sporting events since Saturday, Jan. 8.
Last month, the Knicks and Caesars aligned themselves in a sponsorship deal, with JB Smoove as spokesman.