The New York Knicks are playing much better of late, winning five of their last eight games, but they're coming off a 108-97 loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
Brooklyn has won two games in a row, including a 109-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Projected Starting Lineups
New York Knicks (10-39)
G Jose Calderon – 9.2 ppg, 4.5 apg
G Langston Galloway – 11.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg
F Carmelo Anthony – 24.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg
F Jason Smith – 7.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
C Lou Amundson– 6.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg
Brooklyn Nets (20-28)
G Jarrett Jack –12.2 ppg, 5.0 apg
G Alan Anderson – 6.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg
F Joe Johnson – 15.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
F Kevin Garnett – 6.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg
C Mason Plumlee – 10.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg
What to watch for:
Can the Deron Williams-Brook Lopez benching continue to work?
Brooklyn has been playing much better since point guard Deron Williams has come off the bench with center Brook Lopez, giving them a spark this team has desperately been lacking. The Knicks aren't exactly a deep team, so if they can play well tonight, the Nets bench will give them the win.
Who steps up to help Carmelo?
Carmelo Anthony is still one of the best players in the league, and New York has won games where a second player steps up and becomes an offensive threat. Someone is going to have to do that tonight if they're going to beat a more talented Brooklyn team.
Prediction: Nets win 98-90
This matchup doesn't have the allure and star-power it did last year, but both teams will still play extremely hard in this rivalry matchup. Brooklyn is at home and has more talent and experience, and I think they'll make the plays they need to down the stretch to pull out the win.
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