Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks Game Preview, Prediction
By Dan Schultz
@DSchultz89
Getty Images
Houston Rockets (24-11) vs. New York Knicks (5-33)
Game Time, TV: Thursday, January 8th – 8:00 ET on TNT
Projected Starting Lineups:
Houston Rockets: PG: Patrick Beverley, SG: James Harden, SF: Trevor Ariza, PF: Donatas Montiejunas, C: Dwight Howard
New York Knicks: PG: Pablo Prigioni SG: Jose Calderon SF: Tim Hardaway Jr., PF: Quincy Acy, C: Cole Aldrich
The Houston Rockets will look to get on a winning streak when they face off against the hapless New York Knicks on Thursday night.
After a strong start to the season the Rockets have been in a “win one, lose one” pattern for the last couple weeks. Their win last night over the Cleveland Cavaliers showed that the Rockets have gone from not really having a bench, to having potentially one of the deepest in the league. Their initial decision to start Josh Smith next to Dwight Howard did not work out as well as they thought. Now with Smith coming off the bench with Corey Brewer and Jason Terry, the Rockets have a terrific trio that can help provide scoring when Trevor Ariza and James Harden need rest.
The Knicks appear to be in full “tank” mode after dumping the contracts of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert on to the Cavaliers in a three-team trade on January 6. Now, with rumors that Carmelo Anthony could “shut it down” for the rest of the season, the Knicks will probably want to lose as many games as possible to position themselves for a top pick in the 2015 Draft.
When it comes to a key matchup for this game, it will be interesting to watch Harden and Tim Hardaway Jr. face off on occasion. Hardaway Jr. has talent and confidence in his shooting ability, just like Harden. But realistically, this game will most likely be a blowout in favor of the Rockets. There is always the risk that they could be fatigued on the second night of a back to back, but the starting lineup of the Knicks is really undersized and inexperienced to handle a juggernaut like the Rockets.
Prediction: Rockets 107, Knicks 83
Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.
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