Knicks, Nets Throw Down At The Garden
Deron Williams and the Nets will look to get the better of Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks when the two sides come head-to-head at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
City rivals meet Tuesday night as the New York Knicks host the Brooklyn Nets in the latest installment of the Battle of the Boroughs.
Tip-off at Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
With both teams struggling through the first month of the season, expect this to be a scrappy and fiery affair once more.
The Story So Far
After opening the season 2-1, a stretch that included a win over the highly touted Cleveland Cavaliers, New York (4-14, 3-6 home) has sat back and watched as its season has come undone.
Struggling to come to terms with the Triangle Offense under new head coach Derek Fisher, the Knicks have gone 2-13 over their last 15, picking up wins over the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers only.
The Knicks enter Tuesday’s game losers of four straight and in desperate need of a victory.
Brooklyn (6-9, 3-5 road) hasn’t had things much better this season.
The Nets opened the season 4-2, a stretch that included a win over the Knicks at Barclays Center. The side has gone just 2-7 since and, like the Knicks, finds itself towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. So weak is the conference that a couple of wins could see Lionel Hollins’s side climb into the playoff picture.
The Nets are 0-7 against teams with a winning record this season, but has gone 6-2 against sub-.500 teams. That is something for the team to build on at least.
The Nets enter Tuesday’s game on the back of a 102-84 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Impact Players
Brooklyn is getting solid play from point guard Deron Wiliams (17.9ppg, 6.4apg) who hasn’t played this well since his days with the Utah Jazz.
Joe Johnson’s move to Brooklyn continues to be a benefit for the club. The forward is averaging 16 points per contest. The return of Brook Lopez to the team has added a scoring boost, but Lionel Hollins will be wanting better than the 5.2 rebounds the big man averages. After all, Kevin Garnett is pulling down 8.2 boards in less playing time.
Spread forward Mirza Teletovic continues to impress in his second season. Â The Bosnian is averaging 11 points and five rebounds with the second unit.
Carmelo Anthony remains the focal point of New York’s offense. The perennial All-Star is averaging 23.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per outing, and is shooting above his career average in field goal and three-point field goal percentage.
Amar’e Stoudemire is flourishing in a reserve role. The big man is averaging 12.5 points and 7.8 boards in just 24 minutes per game.
Jose Calderon’s return from injury has created a solid tandem at point guard, with Shane Larkin having impressed in his absence. Still, the Knicks to find ways to win, and that starts with every player stepping up.
Head-to-Head
The Knicks lead the all-time head-to-head series 90-86.
Since making the switch to Brooklyn in 2013, the Nets are 2-3 when playing the Knicks, including a 1-1 record at Madison Square Garden.
The Nets defeated the Knicks 110-99 when the two sides met in Brooklyn on November 7.
After Tuesday’s game, the two clubs will play twice more this regular season; February 6 in Brooklyn and April 1 in Manhattan.
Injury Report
New York is without forwards Andrea Bargnani (calf) and Cleanthony Early (knee), both of whom are out indefinitely. Guard J.R. Smith (illness) is listed as day-to-day.
Brooklyn has no injuries to report.
Can Joe Johnson and the Nets pile more misery on the Knicks?
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks odds for 12/02/2014
Online sportsbooks are generally proving very hesitant with this matchup, which means bettors may need to shop around.
New York opened as the favorite but at the time of writing Bovada and BetOnline both listed Brooklyn as the favorite while TopBet and Bookmaker had both teams even. Use the link above to find out the latest odds before placing your bet.
Brooklyn is 3-5 on the road while New York is 3-6 at home.
The Nets are 6-2 against opponents with a losing record this season. The Knicks are 2-6 versus sub-.500 teams on the season.
Spread: The spread opened at 1 in favor of the Knicks and has switched to 1 in favor of the Nets with some books, while others have it even.
Brooklyn is 6-9-0 ATS this season, including 4-4-0 ATS on the road, 3-4-0 ATS when considered the favorite, and 3-5-0 ATS when playing as the underdog.
New York is 5-13-0 ATS, including 1-8-0 ATS at home, 1-4-0 ATS when playing as the favorite, and 4-9-0 ATS as the underdog.
Each side has covered the spread five times in the last 10 head-to-head matchups. Brooklyn covered the spread in the November 7 matchup at Barclays Center.
Total: The total opened at 186.5 and has climbed as high as 190.5.
Brooklyn (6-9-0 O/U) has favored the under this season while New York (9-8-1 O/U) has marginally favored the over.
The two sides have split the over/under evenly in their last 10 head-to-head matchups. The over has paid out in two games in a row, including last month’s meeting.
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