After starting a three-game road trip with an ugly three-point loss in Detroit last night, the Nuggets get the Knicks for the first time this season in Madison Square Garden. It’s been a mixed bag since Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun returned from extended injury absences. Neither has fully shaken off the rust, and Denver has lost two of three in which they often looked out-of-sorts and out-muscled (albeit both losses coming to the top team in each conference).
Brunson, KAT, and co. come into the game on a heater, having won seven straight and hunting down the Pistons for the one seed in a weak—and possibly getting weaker if Giannis goes West—Eastern Conference.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (33-18) at New York Knicks (32-18)
When: 5:00 PM MST
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV / + / Tuner
Rival Blog: Posting and Toasting
Injury Report | Nuggets: Christian Braun — probably (ankle); Aaron Gordon—out (hamstring); Cameron Johnson—out (knee); Tamar Bates—out (injury)
New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara—questionable (ankle); Josh Hart—questionable (ankle); Miles McBride—out (ankle); Kevin McCullar Jr.—questionable (Two-way contract)
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: What’s happening with Spencer Jones and the back of the bench?
Spencer Jones has one game left of eligibility on his two-way contract, which likely led to him being held out last night, a slightly more favorable defensive matchup for the team. With the trade deadline quickly approaching, word is that the Nuggets are looking to sign Jones and also get under the luxury tax line, meaning a trade of one or more of either Hunter Tyson, Zeke Nnaji, Julian Strawther, or Jalen Pickett seems likely.
Jones has provided invaluable depth (and LinkedIn posts) since he was asked to play significant minutes. The forward has played stout and athletic defense in a variety of roles and made 42% of his threes, making him a cheap but endlessly useful 3-and-D wing. Look for Ben Wallace to make the move happen, and for Spencer to be in uniform tonight and signed by the deadline.
The thing to remember: The Knicks’ offense is really good
This isn’t the grind-it-out-with-six-guys Knicks of the Tom Thibodeau era. This team has an array of skilled offensive talent, starting with Brunson and KAT, both of whom are having All-Star seasons even though only one of them made it (the wrong one, arguably). New York has the 3rd best offense overall while being 3rd in three-point percentage and 5th in three-pointers made. They also clear the glass at an elite level, trailing only the Rockets and Heat.
During their current seven-game win streak, they’ve been throttling teams by double-digits including a 54-point laugher against their cross-town rivals in Brooklyn. With the Nuggets still patching together a defensive scheme and trying to reincorporate Jok and CB onto that end of the floor, the Knicks will be a test for a still hobbled Denver team trying to secure top-four seeding in a brutal Western Conference.
The thing to bet: Parlay | Murray +30 points/+3 3PM
Brunson might be the worst perimeter defender not named Trae Young in the NBA, and Murray, fresh off his first All-Star nod, loves big stages and bright lights—none of which are bigger and brighter than MSG. Look for Mal to be aggressive early and often against another high-octane point guard and try to will the Nuggets to a win while Jok and CB get their legs back.
