The New York Knicks will start a five game home stand tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will face the Sacramento Kings for the second time this season. After their comeback win last night the question tonight will be, how much energy does this team have?
Last night Jeremy Lin proved once again that he can play in this league. Lin was able to score 12 points in the fourth quarter that proved to be the biggest points of the season. Lin was able to brake a tied game with a three pointer with .5 seconds left. Lin scored 27 points and dished out 11 assists in that game. His ability to create for others and himself makes him very valuable to the flow of the offense. His defense struggled last night, but that could because of the tired legs. Expect Lin to play a very important role in this game tonight.
Amare Stoudemire returned last night after he missed four games due to the death of his older brother. Stoudemire scored 21 points and was very influential in the Knicks getting back into the game yesterday. Stoudemire was a step slow yesterday, which is to be expected. He also struggled to finish at the basket as he had his shot blocked 7 times last night. But he did close out the game pretty well as he was the beneficiary of some nice passes from Jeremy Lin. Look for Stoudemire to have a jumper tonight especially since he is playing his second consecutive game.
The defense tonight will have to be stronger simply because last night it was very unorganized. Early in that game the Knicks were unable to stop the Raptors from getting to the baskets. That caused foul trouble and put the Knicks behind on the scoreboard. Also the turnovers early led to the 17 point deficit the Knicks had to overcome. Tonight they have to limit turnovers and stop the Kings from getting second chances with offensive rebounds. Tyson Chandler will have his hands full with the young talent the Kings have up front. DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes will be a hand full and Chandler will have to stay out of foul trouble tonight.
Tyreke Evans will be looking to exploit Jeremy Lin tonight as he looks to end “Linsanity”. Evans is a tough person to play simply because he is deceptively quick. He can also shoot the ball and create his own shot. The Kings played last night and are coming off a lost, so expect them to come out ready to go. The Kings have depth which the Knicks lack, but so far during this winning streak the Knicks have been getting more production from their bench.
This game is one the Knicks want and need. A win tonight will bring their record back to .500 and get them closer to passing the Celtics in the standings. The Garden will be pumped up and ready for some basketball. Hopefully the Knicks can come out and put the Kings away early so that the starters can get some rest. This game can be watched locally on MSG at 7:30 PM. Let’s go Knicks!
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