Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: New York -6, Total: 217

The Knicks look to continue an improbable run towards the playoffs when they head to Staples Center on Tuesday night to take on the Lakers.

New York had won eight straight games (6-2 ATS) before blowing a 17-point first half lead on Sunday to lose 106-100 at home against the Cavaliers. The 106 points scored by the Cavaliers was one of just four triple-digit scoring performances by a Knicks opponent in the month of March. The team enters Tuesday sitting 2.5 games behind Atlanta for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles is coming off a 103-94 home victory over the Magic on Sunday, which snapped a three-game losing skid. The Lakers are 2-7 SU (3-6 ATS) in their past nine contests where they have surrendered 122.7 PPG on 51% FG (43% threes). New York, which is 16-17 ATS on the road this season, are looking for the series sweep after a 110-103 home win over L.A. on Jan. 26. Over the past three seasons, the Knicks hold a 3-2 edge (SU and ATS) in the series, but the Lakers are 2-0 (SU and ATS) when playing at home in that timeframe. Both teams have favorable betting trends, as New York benefits from home underdogs going 38-70 ATS (35%) over the past five seasons after going under the total by 18+ points in their previous game, in the second half of the season. However, Los Angeles is 5-0 ATS after failing to cover in four of its previous five games this season. PF Pau Gasol (illness) and PG Steve Nash (back) and SF Xavier Henry (wrist) are all expected to miss this game for the Lakers, while SF Iman Shumpert (illness) is questionable for the Knicks.

Can the Knicks continue their playoff push with a comfortable win over the Lakers on Tuesday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2012-13 season. The experts have posted a profitable 53% ATS mark (28-25) since March 9. StatFox Dave has a strong 56% ATS (45-35-1) Best Bets record since Dec. 1, while StatFox Brian remains hot, going 60% ATS (25-17-1) since Jan. 25 and 56% ATS (39-31-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 12. StatFox Gary is also heating up with a 56% ATS mark (14-11) since Feb. 13, while StatFox Zach is on an 8-2 ATS run since March 9.

New York's offense continues to underperform, scoring just 98.7 PPG (19th in NBA) on 44.7% FG (also 19th in league), but the club does knock down 9.1 threes per game (6th in NBA) on a strong 36.9% clip (10th in league). But this is a poor passing team (20.3 APG, 26th in NBA), subpar rebounding club (40.9 RPG, 26th in league) and average defense (99.9 PPG, 12th in NBA). The Knicks blew a golden opportunity at home on Sunday when they lost to the Cavaliers, and now they need to be flawless in the final stretch of this season in order to make the playoffs. In Sunday's defeat, SF Carmelo Anthony (28.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG) led the team in scoring with 32 points (8-of-20 FG, 4-of-9 threes) and eight rebounds while also chipping in two blocks. Anthony, however, really struggled in the fourth quarter and was visibly tired in the game’s final minutes. He had 35 points in the first meeting with the Lakers this season and will need to do the same in order to get his Knicks back on track. SG J.R. Smith (13.2 PPG) had a solid game against the Cavaliers as well, finishing with 18 points in 38 minutes. Smith had 16 points in the win over Los Angeles in January and he should be able to repeat that performance, as the Lakers have not been successful this season in guarding the perimeter. New York desperately needs a better game out of C Tyson Chandler (9.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.3 BPG) than the one he played on Sunday. Chandler had just four points and six rebounds against the Cavaliers and will need to do better against a Lakers team that will be without Pau Gasol.

Los Angeles has been an efficient offense this season with 102.0 PPG (12th in NBA) on 23.8 APG (4th in league), but the defense has been atrocious, allowing 108.6 PPG (2nd-worst in NBA). But the Lakers are coming off of a 103-94 victory over Orlando on Sunday in which SF Nick Young (17.0 PPG) was a huge factor offensively. Young had 26 points (8-of-17 FG) in 31 minutes, and is averaging 23.5 PPG in 30.0 MPG in the two games since he returned from a knee injury. The Lakers will need Young to be on his game against New York, as they will likely be without PF Pau Gasol (17.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG). PF Jordan Hill (8.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG) will also need to step up his game, as he is coming off his best performance of the season with 28 points and 13 rebounds. SG Jodie Meeks (15.3 PPG) could be an X-factor in this game as well. Over the past five games, Meeks is averaging 15.8 PPG and he also chipped in six steals against Orlando. That kind of defense could really help Los Angeles defend the Knicks' shooting-guard position, which accounts for a lot of its offensive production. PG Kendall Marshall (8.2 PPG, 9.0 APG) will need to play a lot better for the Lakers than he has recently. He is averaging just 6.4 PPG and 5.6 APG over the past five contests, but he has a nice opportunity to have a big game as the Knicks struggle defending the point guard position. Marshall had 12 points and five assists when the teams first met this season.