The defending champion Denver Nuggets close out a five-game road trip against Eastern Conference foes as they head to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night to face the New York Knicks.

The Nuggets started the swing with a loss at Philadelphia but handed Boston its first home defeat of the season.

Denver followed that victory up with wins at Washington and Indiana to improve to 14-10 away from Ball Arena.

Fueled by a stifling defense, the Knicks remain on fire with four straight wins and 10 victories in their last 12 games. 

Their latest was a 108-103 road triumph over Brooklyn on Tuesday, in which New York cashed the “under” for a sixth straight game. Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson each scored 30 points in the victory.

The Knicks put their 14-5 home record on the line Thursday night. They own a 2-1-1 record against the spread (ATS) as home underdogs, which they are against the Nuggets (-2.5). 

The Nuggets and Knicks have not faced each other yet, but New York pulled off a two-game sweep of Denver last season, winning by three and six points.

Before that, the Nuggets had won the previous eight matchups.

Nikola Jokic has hit the “over” on his point total in each of the past four games for Denver, while topping the 31-point mark in his last three contests. 

Jokic’s point total against New York is set at 26.5, but the Knicks haven’t allowed an opposing player to score more than 27 points in their last five home games, so as tempting as this prop might be, it’s a pass for us.

Instead, let’s target the spread. The Nuggets are 0-3 ATS this season on the final game of a road trip of at least three games. 

Let’s grab the points with the Knicks at home.

Pick: Knicks +2.5 (-114, FanDuel)