2. Defend The 3-Point Shot
The New York Knicks are nothing if not consistent during road games. By that, of course, I mean to say that the Knicks consistently struggled to defend the 3-point shot during road games—and there’s not much more to blame for that issue than effort.
Against the Houston Rockets, the Knicks will lose by halftime if they fail to respect the 3-point shot as much as they need to.
The Rockets are averaging a league-best 14.9 3-point field goals made per game—1.6 more than any other team in the Association. Houston is also attempting 5.8 3-point field goals more than any other team and ranks No. 5 in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage.
When the Knicks hosted the Rockets in November, the likes of Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and James Harden helped Houston convert 15 3-point field goals.
Four different members of the Rockets rank in the Top 10 in the NBA in 3-point field goals made. Gordon is No. 2 with 121, Harden is No. 5 with 99, Anderson is No. 7 with 93, and Trevor Ariza is No. 9 with 88.
Considering New York is allowing 9.3 3-point field goals per game on 36.2 percent shooting from distance during road games, the effort will need to increase exponentially.