Game Preview: Knicks Head to Houston to Take on Rockets

Coming off one of their few wins of the season, the Knicks travel to Houston to take on a very good Rockets team. In case you missed it, New York beat quite possibly the worst team ever assembled, 91-83, on Saturday. It was good to get back in the win column, but tonight will be a true test against a legitimate contender.

The Rockets come into tonight’s action losing two out of their last three games. One of the losses was a blow out in Memphis (who might be the best team in the league), and the other came at home against the lowly Lakers. However, the Rockets did bounce back with a win over Dallas on Saturday. While the team is 10-3 overall, it has been an odd past couple of games. The Knicks need to take advantage of this inconsistent play and jump out to a fast start to try and steal one in Houston.

Houston may be without Dwight Howard tonight, who has been out the past two games with a knee injury. That would bode well for the Knicks as they have not rebounded particularly well as of late. James Harden leads the charge for Houston, per usual, but is shooting a poor 39% from the field thus far. His ball dominance has continued in the absence of point guard Patrick Beverly, and we have seen an uptick in both assists and turnovers from Harden. Iman Shumpert could have a field day on defense with his active hands as Harden is averaging over 4 turnovers per game.

For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony remains the go to guy on offense as his shot has improved remarkably over the past week. Shumpert has struggled offensively the past two games after having a monster game in Milwaukee (he went for 21-8-8 that night). Jose Calderon returned to action last game for the Knicks, and while he wasn’t as sharp as we would hope, it was his first game of the season. Look for Calderon to get extended minutes tonight and have a larger impact on tonight’s game than he did on Saturday.

Injuries:

New York: Andrea Bargnani, Cleanthony Early

Houston: Dwight Howard (questionable), Patrick Beverly (questionable), Terrence Jones

What to Watch For…

• Big Night in Store for Amar’e?
  • With Dwight Howard either out or limited in tonight’s game, the Rockets will be without a capable interior defender. Amar’e Stoudemire has been lighting it up so far this year, so look for him to have a big night on the offensive end.
• Shut Down Harden and Win the Game?
  • James Harden is virtually the Rockets offense outside of Howard. If Iman Shumpert can force Harden into a jump shooter tonight, the odds will swing favorably towards the Knicks. Harden’s rough shooting percentage could cause problems for the Houston offense without Dwight Howard. Trevor Ariza is their only other option without Howard.
• Can Shumpert Bounce Back Offensively?
  • Iman Shumpert was arguably the Knicks best player the first three weeks of the season. However, the past two games have been relatively unproductive for him on the offensive end. Jose Calderon should allow Shumpert to play more off the ball, and Calderon’s shooting should give Shumpert more space to operate.

Knicks could steal one tonight. They just need to put together a complete game together, which is no small feat with this team.

Recap after the game.