Pre-Game: Hornets vs. Knicks 8:00 PM

The New York Knicks will be facing the New Orleans Hornets tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are looking for their eighth straight win and are hoping to get a game above .500. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will not play tonight and is expected to return Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks. Also, the Knicks have signed JR Smith to contract and have released forward Renaldo Balkman. Smith will not play tonight, but is expected to play against the Mavericks on Sunday.

Jeremy Lin has been the topic of discussion all week and tonight will be no different. Lin has excited the Knicks fan base and has everyone on the team playing much better. Lin is coming off a career high 13 assists against the Sacramento Kings. Tonight more of the same from Lin who is getting more comfortable with this team.

Amare Stoudemire looked much better in the last game, but defensively he needs to step his game up. Stoudemire scored 11 points, but found himself in foul trouble that forced him to the bench. As a team the Knicks need Stoudemire to play hard on the defensive side of the ball. Tyson Chandler has been the anchor the Knicks have needed down the stretch. Chandler has been had huge blocks that have saved the Knicks in most games. Tonight Chandler will have to contain Chris Kaman and keep him off the boards otherwise the Hornets will be tough to put away.

Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert, and Steve Novak have to continue playing well tonight. Fields has had a resurgence since the Knicks have picked up the tempo. Shumpert has played well on both sides of the ball and continues to play very good. And Novak has shown that he is not only a three point shooter, but he can play average defense. The Knicks need the same effort out of these three in order to win this game.

The Hornets are one of the worst teams in the league and injuries have taken this team down. Jarrett Jack, Emeka Okafor, Eric Gordon, and Jason Smith all will be out with injuries. The Knicks will have a nice night offensively and they could try different defensive schemes to see what works. Expect the Knicks to come out with energy and want to put this team away early. This game can be watched on MSG or ESPN (depending on TV provider) at 8:00 PM. Let’s go Knicks!