Knicks Preview: Keys to Defeating the Houston Rockets

February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Eastern Conference forward Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks (7) shakes hands with Western Conference guard James Harden of the Houston Rockets (13) before the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

13 games into the 2015-16 NBA regular season, the New York Knicks have already overachieved. New York is 7-6, sitting just 0.5 games back of the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

For what it’s worth, New York didn’t win its seventh game of 2014-15 until January 21, when it became 7-36.

In game No. 14, the Knicks will travel to face the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. Houston enters the game at 5-8, but that’s not necessarily indicative of how good this team can be.

It may not matter much now, but the Rockets won 56 games and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2014-15. It achieved 54 victories in 2013-14 and had been projected to win a similar amount in 2015-16.

The question is, how can the Knicks avoid falling to the struggling Rockets?

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