The New York Knicks (21-27) take part in their fourth outing of a five-game West Coast trip when they head to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets (24-23) on Thursday.
The Knicks have lost two straight including Tuesday’s 123-112 loss at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. New York actually led by 10 after one quarter and by two at halftime despite not having Kristaps Porzingis but were outscored 65-52 in the second half. Michael Beasley led the Knicks with 21 points while Courtney Lee scored 20.
The Nuggets had a hard-fought 104-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in their most recent game on Monday.
They escaped with the win despite shooting a low 41 percent from the field for the game. Jamal Murray finished the game with a career-high 38 points.
Likely starters
Knicks: PG - Jarrett Jack, SG - Tim Hardaway Jr., SF - Courtney Lee, PF - Kristaps Porzingis, C - Enes Kanter
Nuggets: PG - Jamal Murray, SG - Gary Harris, SF - Wilson Chandler, PF - Nikola Jokic, C - Mason Plumlee
Team leaders
Knicks: Points - Kristaps Porzingis 23.3 (Leading scorer is Tim Hardaway Jr. 18.1 if Porzingis is unavailable), Rebounds - Enes Kanter 10.0, Assists - Jarrett Jack 6.2
Nuggets: Points - Gary Harris 17.0, Rebounds - Nikola Jokic 10.4, Assists - Nikola Jokic 5.0
Injury report
Knicks: Questionable - Kyle O'Quinn (calf), Kristaps Porzingis (knee)
Nuggets: Out - Paul Millsap (wrist), Questionable - Kenneth Faried (ankle)
What to know heading into Thursday's game
Denver has owned the Knicks at the Pepsi Center as of late, winning the last nine contests there against New York.
It has been over a decade since the Knicks last won in Denver. Their last win there came on November 8, 2006 when they had a starting lineup of Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Channing Frye, and Eddy Curry.
Nikola Jokic has enjoyed much success against the Knicks early in his career. He scored 28 points with six threes in their loss to New York on October 30.
He scored a then-career-high of 40 points (has a 41-point game this season) in the Nuggets’ win over New York on December 17, 2016. He was unstoppable that game as he went 17-23 from the field.
New York has given up at least 100 points in each of their last eight games and 13 of their last 14. They have allowed at least 115 points in six of their last eight outings.
Knicks/Nuggets history
The Knicks and Nuggets have met 86 times in the regular season with New York holding a slight 44-42 edge in the win column.
The two teams met early this season with New York prevailing by the score of 116-110 on October 30 at Madison Square Garden. The Nuggets had won the previous five meetings prior to this season.
