The New York Knicks will try and extend their winning streak to four games on the road against the struggling Miami Heat.
- New York Knicks (11-9)
- Miami Heat (7-13)
- NBA, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. ET on MSG Network
- American Airlines Center, Miami, FL
The New York Knicks won four straight games just twice during Derek Fisher’s 196 games as head coach. New head coach Jeff Hornacek will try and claim his first four-game win streak Tuesday night in Miami against the Heat.
The Knicks have played exceptional on both ends of the court during the three-game win streak (two against the Timberwolves, one against the Kings). They’re averaging 110.0 points per game, shooting 45.7% from the field, and 39.1% from downtown.
On defense, they’re allowing 105.3 points per game, and opponents are shooting 40.6% from the field, and 30.7% from three-point range.
The #Knicks aim to remain hot in Miami. 5 Things to Know, including injury/lineup updates. #NYKvsMIA
[? https://t.co/B4NEmNcDZa] pic.twitter.com/iUzEi8oWrt— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 6, 2016
Despite their poor road record (2-6), the Knicks are the favorite tonight on the road against a short-handed Miami Heat team.
The Heat have struggled to score all season, ranked just 24th in offensive efficiency, and tonight they’re without key rotation players Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow.
But the Knicks aren’t completely off the hook.
After going up against DeMarcus Cousins on Sunday, they’ll go up against another elite big man Tuesday night, Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside — the league leader in rebounding at 14.9 per game — will be a serious issue for a Knicks team that is terrible on the defensive glass. He anchors a defense that ranks sixth in efficiency and fifth in opponent’s field goal percentage.
For the Knicks to win tonight they’ll need to limit Whiteside’s opportunities on the offensive glass; he averages 4.4 per game. Per NBA.com, the 27-year-old is responsible for 77 putback possessions so far. That’s the most in the league by a wide margin.
Whiteside is as tough a test as Joakim Noah will face but to paraphrase Paul Pierce, “That’s why they brought him here.”
- All of my stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com
