The New York Knicks (4-20) will be on the road, facing the Golden State Warriors (5-20) at 10:30pm Eastern Time. The Warriors are listed as 5 point favorites, despite being without their two best players, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Starting Lineups- With 2 Attributes That Will Be Impactful Tonight (Strength, Weakness)
| Position | New York Knicks | Golden State Warriors |
| PG | Frank Ntilikina (defense, scoring) | D’Angelo Russell (scoring, defense/turnovers) |
| SG | RJ Barrett (driving, shooting) | Glenn Robinson III (defense, driving) |
| SF | Marcus Morris Sr. (3 point shooting, fouling) | Draymond Green (defense/facilitating, shooting) |
| PF | Julius Randle (interior scoring, turnovers) | Eric Paschall (scoring, 3 point shooting) |
| C | Taj Gibson (rebounding, shooting) | Willy Cauley-Stein (defense, scoring) |
Matchup Of The Night
Marcus Morris Sr. vs. Draymond Green
Draymond Green is one of the most versatile and formidable defenders in the NBA. Green can guard 1-5 and is averaging 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, this season. Green is a solid rebounder (5.9 rebounds per game) and is an excellent passer (5.6 assists per game). Green’s issues are turnovers, averaging 2.3 per game, and scoring. Green is only scoring 8.8 points per game on 40.5% shooting this season. Marcus Morris Sr. has become one of the best three-ballers in the league, shooting 48.4% from three, this season. Morris Sr. will have a hard time finding open looks tonight when Green is matched-up with him. Morris Sr. leads the Knicks in scoring, 18.2 points per game. New York will look to free him up on screens on and off the ball. Morris Sr. draws 3.3 fouls per game and is shooting 84.6% from the foul line this season. He will likely look to drive inside and seek contact if he is covered from three.
Inactives
Knicks- Wayne Ellington, Dennis Smith Jr., and Reggie Bullock
Warriors- Steph Curry and Klay Thompson
Key Statistics
- The Warriors are 27th in the NBA, scoring 104.6 points per game. The Knicks are last in the NBA, scoring 100 points per game.
- Golden State is 26th in the NBA in field goal percentage (43.1%). New York is last in the NBA (41.8%).
- The Knicks attempt 30.4 three-pointers per game, 24th in the NBA. The Warriors attempt 28.2 three-pointers per game, 28th in the NBA.
- The Warriors lead the NBA in free throw percentage (82.6%). The Knicks are last in the NBA (67.2%).
- New York averages 12 offensive rebounds per game (1st in the NBA). Golden State averages 33.1 defensive rebounds per game (22nd in the NBA).
- Golden State is 4th in the NBA, only commiting 19.1 personal fouls per game. New York is 28th in the NBA, commiting 23.1 personal fouls per game.
- The Knicks are last in the NBA in NET Rating (-11.2). The Warriors are 28th in the NBA in NET Rating (-9.7).
Keys To Winning
The Knicks will need to cover the Warriors point guard, D’Angelo Russell, the best they can to win tonight. Russell is averaging 22 points per game and is shooting 35.2% from three this season. He also averages 6.2 assists per game and owns a Usage of 30.9%. The Warriors offense runs through him and Russell can get hot in a hurry. New York has had issues defending guards, most recently displayed by Damian Lillard (31 points in 29 minutes last night). The Knicks will also need to make their jumpers, due to Willie Cauley-Stein (1.2 blocks per game) creating havoc on all shots around the basket. The Knicks are the worst shooting team in the league this season (41.8%) and will need to knock-down their open looks, to win the game tonight.
Knicks Lifers Blog 