The New York Knicks (2-3) head back home to Madison Square Garden for Monday night action as they take on the Denver Nuggets (3-3). It will be the second game of a back-to-back for both teams as they both played on Sunday as well.
After being the last team in the NBA to record a win, the Knicks have now won two in a row after their impressive 114-95 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. It was the first time that New York beat the Cavaliers in their last 11 meetings.
The Nuggets have now won two in a row after Sunday’s 124-11 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Denver outscored the Nets 40-21 in what was a dominant third quarter performance.
Projected starting lineups
Nuggets: PG - Jamal Murray, SG - Gary Harris, SF - Wilson Chandler, PF - Paul Millsap, C - Nikola Jokic
Knicks: PG - Jarrett Jack, SG - Tim Hardaway Jr., SF - Courtney Lee, PF - Kristaps Porzingis, C - Enes Kanter
Team stat leaders
Nuggets: Scoring - Nikola Jokic 15.5, Rebounding - Nikola Jokic 11.7, Assists - Nikola Jokic 4.7
Knicks: Scoring - Kristaps Porzingis 27.6, Rebounding - Enes Kanter 10.8, Assists - Jarrett Jack 5.3
Injury report
Nuggets: Out - Juan Hernangomez (mono)
Knicks: Out - Joakim Noah (suspension), Questionable - Ron Baker (ankle)
What Knicks fans should watch for
Knicks fans have waited for Tim Hardaway Jr.
to break out of his early-season slump, and he did in a huge way on Sunday. Entering the Cavaliers game with atrocious shooting numbers of 26.5% from the field and 22.2% on threes, Hardaway Jr. scorched Cleveland for 34 points on 11-19 shooting from the field and 5-10 from deep. If the pricey free agent acquisition can continue to shoot this well, life will be much easier for New York.
Starting small forward Courtney Lee has not been scoring at the rate of Kristaps Porzingis (or Hardaway on Sunday), but he has quietly carved himself a nice role in the Knicks’ offense. After scoring just 13 points total in the Knicks first two games on 6-17 (35.3%) shooting, he has scored 13, 13, and 15 in their last three games on 16-32 (50%) shooting.
Center Nikola Jokic was unstoppable for the Nuggets the last time they stepped foot in Madison Square Garden. He finished 17-23 from the field on his way to a 40-point, nine-rebound, and five-assist outing.
History of Nuggets/Knicks
The Knicks and Nuggets first met on November 3, 1976, after Denver joined the NBA via the ABA merger. The two teams have met a total of 85 times in the regular season, with the Knicks holding a 43-42 advantage in the win column.
Denver has had their way with the Knicks recently though, as they have won the last five meetings. The Nuggets won the two matchups by an average of 10.5 points last season while averaging 129 points. New York has lost the last two games played at Madison Square Garden but won the previous three.
