Knicks proceed rugged homestand in opposition to struggling Nuggets

The final prolonged homestand of the season for the New York Knicks is off to a traditionally good begin. The Denver Nuggets’ longest highway journey of the season is not going almost as nicely.

New York hosts Denver on Wednesday night time in a battle of potential NBA title contenders.

Each groups have been off Tuesday after taking part in Monday, when the Knicks led almost wire-to-wire in a 143-106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, whereas the Nuggets frittered away a 10-point lead they held within the third quarter and fell to the Chicago Bulls, 129-121.

The Knicks accomplished their most prolific back-to-back stretch in virtually 60 years, after rolling to a 143-120 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night time to open the five-game homestand.

New York final scored not less than 140 factors in consecutive video games from Dec. 11-14, 1965, when the Knicks beat the Baltimore Bullets 150-127 and edged the San Francisco Warriors 141-137.

Mikal Bridges (28 factors) led seven Knicks in double figures Monday night time as they trailed simply as soon as — at 2-0 — and dominated the Grizzles on each ends of the ground. New York outscored Memphis 83-54 after halftime and completed the sport with 20 steals, the second-most by an NBA workforce in a recreation this season. The Atlanta Hawks had 22 steals in opposition to the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 29.

New York, now 6-6 in opposition to groups at the moment in playoff positions, will shut out its homestand by taking part in 4 straight groups who’re among the many prime six within the Western Convention. The Los Angeles Lakers are slated to go to Saturday night time, adopted by the Houston Rockets on Monday night time.

“They seem to be a powerful matchup — that is take a look at for us,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned of the third-place Grizzlies. “And we needed to be tied collectively. I cherished our total exercise. I assumed our defensive exercise was terrific. Massive-time, multiple-effort recreation.”

The defensive effort hasn’t been stout during the last two video games for the Nuggets, who’ve dropped consecutive contests for the primary time since Dec. 25-27. Denver hasn’t misplaced three in a row since Feb. 9-14, 2024.

The Nuggets have given up a mixed 262 factors to the Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves — probably the most factors surrendered by Denver in back-to-back video games because it gave up 264 factors in consecutive additional time wins over the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets from Oct. 28-29.

Denver allowed seven Bulls gamers to attain in double figures Monday night time and gave up 34 factors within the fourth quarter, when Chicago was 13-of-24 from the sector (54.2 %), together with 6-of-13 (46.2 %) from 3-point land.

“We messed with the sport,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned. “You let a workforce hold round and in that third quarter going into the fourth quarter, they actually simply drove the ball down our throats and rebounded and went drive-and-kick three, drive-and-kick three, drive-and-kick three. All as a result of we could not guard the ball or would not get again.”

The defensive struggles squandered one other mammoth recreation by Nikola Jokic. The three-time NBA Most Precious Participant posted one other triple-double (33 factors, 12 rebounds, 14 assists) whereas changing into the primary participant ever to go 10-of-10 from the sector in a primary half with not less than eight assists.

–Area Degree Media