Without Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose, the New York Knicks will have a tough test on the road against the Golden State Warriors.
- New York Knicks (14-11)
- Golden State Warriors (22-4)
- NBA, Thursday, Dec. 15, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
The Official New York Knicks Public Relations Twitter page dropped a bombshell regarding Thursday night’s game against the powerhouse Golden State Warriors.
Carmelo Anthony (sore right shoulder) and Derrick Rose (sore lower back) will both be unavailable tonight at @warriors
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) December 15, 2016
The Knicks would have to go up against the league’s best team without Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony.
Rose’s status was up in the air after his back spasms acted up again Tuesday against the Suns. Things were going to be difficult enough for the Knicks without their starting point guard.
https://youtu.be/-P3VWpEp8yc
But with the surprising announcement that Anthony wouldn’t be playing, it gives the Knicks almost no chance against the best offense in the Association.
Rose and Anthony account for 36.6% of the Knicks’s scoring, 37.1% of their FGA, and 54.1% of their plays used. Without two of their top guns, the Knicks will need huge nights from Kristaps Porzingis and the rest of the rotation in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Jeff Hornacek is presented with an interesting dilemma in replacing Anthony. The coach could opt to go with Justin Holiday and play a three-guard starting lineup. He’s already shown the willingness to play unconventional rotations.
With the three-headed monster of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant looming, defending the three-point line will be a necessity. The Knicks are just 19th in opponent’s three-point percentage.
The Warriors will try and jump on the short-handed Knicks early. This one could be over in the first quarter.
