The Knicks seek their third straight win as they close out the current homestand.
Tonight the New York Knicks (7-6) wrap up a four-game homestead with a game against the Washington Wizards (2-10).
The New York Knicks are riding a two-game win streak after twice dispatching the Brooklyn Nets. In Sunday’s victory, Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with an impressive 26 points and 15 rebounds to secure a 114-104 victory.
The Zards would be the absolute floor of the Eastern Conference if not for Toronto. Washington ranks 30th for offensive, defensive, and net ratings. The trifecta! Nevertheless, this is an NBA team with some talent. They rate third for pace and seventh for field goals attempted, so expect a fair amount of run-and-gun, especially from leading scorer Jordan Poole. In his sixth season, the point guard has averaged 22.2 points and 4.6 assists while shooting a career-best 46% from the field 45% from deep.
Second-in-command on this tank operation is forward Kyle Kuzma, a key contributor for Washington, bringing consistent scoring (17.9 points) and rebounding (6.6 rebounds) to the team.
The team is young, with three starters under the age of 21. Selected as the second overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Alexandre Sarr, the 7-foot center from France, has averaged 10.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game so far. Another French talent, forward Bilal Coulibaly was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He has shown promise as a versatile wing player, averaging 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this season. Rounding out the first five is Carlton “Bub” Carrington. Picked 14th in this year’s draft, the Wizards’ 19-year-old guard has averaged 9.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in his first campaign.
Off the bench, look for veteran Jonas Valanciunas to fill in behind Sarr, and Corey Kispert to sub for the guards. The sharpshooting Kispert recently agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract extension with the club and is shooting 33% from beyond the arc.
Prediction
ESPN.com favors the Knicks by 81%. Fatigue could be a factor, as the Knicks starters played big minutes in last night’s game, but . . . these Wizards are very bad. The Knicks will either come out mighty but give the visitors a second-half glimmer of hope; or they’ll play with their food all night. Either way, New York wins by +12, and embarks on the five-game road trip with some momentum.
Game Details
Date: Monday, November 18, 2024
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York City
TV: MSG Network, NBA League Pass
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