With late word that James Harden should be good to go tonight for the Clips after missing the Monday win over the Warriors with shoulder problems, much less reluctant to go against the Knicks tonight. New York is giving us a pretty big target to go against lately, dropping 10 of 11 spread decisions since winning the NBA Cup last month in Las Vegas. Pperhaps the Knicks hit bottom in Monday's 31-point loss at Detroit, but Spike Lee and other Knicks fans were thinking the same after some other previous setbacks, like vs. the Hawks at MSG last Friday, which was followed up by a double-digit home loss to the Sixers. Meanwhile, the Clips hit the Big Apple having won seven of eight. Play Clippers

The Knicks are not playing their best basketball of the year and they have dropped their last two home games. The Clippers are the complete opposite. They are 7-1 in their past eight games (T-best record in NBA since Dec. 20) while allowing a league-low 104.6 PPG in that span. The points are the difference; I’ll take the underdog.

The Clippers are playing so much better of late but have done nearly all that at home. They are 4-13 away. L.A. plays on the East Coast for the first time in several weeks. James Harden has been upgraded to probable but ideally he's not close to 100%. Feels like an urgency spot for the Knicks on a four-game losing streak, ahead of a tough West Coast trip and after looking really bad Monday in Detroit. New York is one of the best teams in the league at home (15-4).