It's hard to be positive about Knicks overall performance this season, however, they have surprisingly managed to win 3 out of the last 5 games, which should give them the morale boost as they head to Los Angeles, where they will face off against Clippers for the first time this season.

Los Angeles Clippers enter this match as the 8th team in the West with an overall record of 35-29 and a 3-2 record in their last 5 games. Looking at how they performed in recent matches, Clippers have been defeated by Nuggets (123:96) and Utah Jazz (111:105), however, they managed to defeat Memphis Grizzlies (106:112), Dallas Maverick (121:112) and Sacramento Kings on Saturday (109:116).

Despite the fact they managed to win 3 games out of the last 5, I'm not particularly impressed by them. At the end of the day, Grizzlies, Mavericks and Kings are not in a good form as of now, so until I see Clippers winning against at least half-decent teams, I will stand by my words and say they are a mediocre team at best. The biggest thorn in Clippers side are the teams with good defence, who can easily shut down them and their disastrous shot selection.

New York Knicks on the other side are still sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with an overall record of 13-49. But! They have managed to win 3 out of their last 5 games. While they were defeated by Minnesota Timberwolves (104:115) and Cleveland Cavaliers (118:125), Knicks were the better side against Hawks (91:106), Spurs (130:118) and Orlando Magic (108:103). Most of their success came from their improved defence and solid performances from their young players. Despite the disappointing defeat against Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday (118:125), Knicks are here to cause some trouble for Clippers, who are in my opinion highly overrated by bookmakers in this match.

New York Knicks have got DeAndre Jordan questionable, while Hezonja and Ntilikina remain out. On the other side, Los Angeles Clippers won't have Chandler and Luc Mbah a Moute at their disposal.

As mentioned, I believe Clippers are overrated heading into this match. While it's true they will play one of the worst team in the NBA, Knicks have become an improved version of themselves. Not only did they improve their defence, which was one of the biggest issues this season, we have also seen their young players stepping up and showing their worth. I have talked about how Clippers have issues when facing a team that knows how to defend, and while Knicks are not among the best defensive teams, they have become decent when it comes to defending their basket.

Taking all into consideration, Clippers just might win this one, but I don't expect to be an easy one, especially with their shooting. In fact, I would not be surprised if Knicks go on and upset Clippers, however for the sake of this prediction, we will say Knicks will manage to hold this match at 10 points.

Prediction: Knicks +10.00 points