Pre-Game: Raptors vs. Knicks 7:30 PM

The New York Knicks will face the Toronto Raptors tonight at Madison Square Garden. This will be the third time both teams have faced each other this season. So far each team has won a game, but tonight someone will lose. For the Knicks sake they hope to get another win as they try to climb back to .500 before the season ends.

The last three games have been very good for the Knicks. They have found a defensive edge that is very better and are looking to win games as a team. Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are playing outstanding defense as the two leaders of the team. They have shown lots of improvement since Mike Woodson took over and are being the spark plugs that the Knicks wanted them to be. Most notably Carmelo Anthony has led by example and is putting in the work to become a better defender. He has shown that he can deny his opponent from receiving the ball which has really allowed the Knicks to lock down teams. Look for more of the same from Anthony tonight as he will try to help lead his team to another win.

Jeremy Lin was the topic of discussion since the coaching change simply because most thought his production would drop. But Lin has proved that he can still be the same point guard in this new offensive system. The turnovers have dropped rapidly and Lin is starting to look more consistent from a numbers standpoint. The Knicks need him to be a distributor but still have the ability to score if asked upon. Lin will be a very pivotal part in the Knicks success this season.

The second unit will have a definite upper hand tonight as they go up against a very poor Raptor second unit. JR Smith, Steve Novak, and Iman Shumpert have to score tonight to give the Knicks an edge. Once the Knicks get consistency from their bench, they will be very tough to beat. The second unit may play better defense then the starters and can create turnovers that lead to easy baskets.

Tonight will be a test for the Knicks who struggle against teams that they have the ability to beat. The Raptors will have Jose Calderon back in the lineup tonight after he missed the last five games with an ankle injury. This game can be watched on MSG at 7:30 PM live from Madison Square Garden. Let’s go Knicks!